Thief of the Heart
by DNAngelFangirl
Summary: Dark x Me. I've known the Niwa secret for six months. I get caught up in many things throughout the next several months and, to make matters worse, I'm falling for the Phantom Thief himself! Rate and reviews are always welcome. Rated T for mild language and violence. Finished a few months ago and finally got around to posting it here. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Hey, Ally! Wait up!"

I turned around and smiled. "Hey, Dai!" I stopped walking so he could catch up to me.

Daisuke Niwa was a great friend. His red hair always spiked and his eyes looked just like huge rubies. We were in the same class, but I was fifteen and he was fourteen. He might be small, but he was quick. Even though he was a klutz, he was also kindhearted.

Every morning, we would walk together to the station where a car would take us to the top of a hill and we would walk the rest of the way to school. There was one stop along the way and then the last stop was where we got off.

It was December and the snow fell from the sky and blanketed the ground with soft snow. I exhaled and loved to see my warm breath as it exited from my cold lips. Our school just had a week off and now we were returning to it.

"So, Dai," I always addressed him as that. "How was your week off?"

"Alright," he sighed, obviously tired. "I stayed up late most nights." he shifted his backpack on his shoulder.

"Then you slept in until noon just to stay up late again?" I chuckled. "What were you doing? Calling Riku and having lovey-dovey late night calls?" I formed my lips into a puckered state, closed my eyes, and made a kissing sound.

A second later, a sudden cold feeling consumed my face and I opened my eyes. All I could see was pure white. I heard Daisuke laughing his head off and I wiped the snow off my face.

"I admit, I did deserve that," I confessed, joining in on his laughter.

"Agreed," Daisuke said, now recovered from his laughing session.

"Okay," I sighed. "So, how is Dark? He doing well?"

I heard Daisuke gulp loudly and I chuckled, patting his back.

"Daisuke, Daisuke, Daisuke," I began.

"Don't triple Daisuke me, Ally."

"You know for a fact that I've known that secret for six months now and have been with you on every single mission."

"They're not missions. They're thefts."

"Alright," I retorted, then muttered in a low voice so he could not hear me, "Mr. Perfectionist." I cleared my throat, then added out loud, "You know I meet you at your house and you change into Dark. Then, with him hidden in a hoodie so no one can recognize him, we walk to an alleyway near the target building, yet far enough away from the crowd of people so we wouldn't be caught. When we're well enough hidden, he'll take off the hoodie, revealing his thieving outfit, then Wiz will turn into his wings and Dark'll fly off and, sometimes, Krad would appear and they would fight. Afterwards, Dark would return with the stolen artifact, sometimes beaten up, and put the hoodie back on as I hid the artifact in a bag I always bring and we would walk quickly home." I gulped up a handful of air after I finished.

"I know," he commented. "I just forgot you knew the secret. You didn't have to go into major detail."

"I'm aware," I smiled down at him. "I just love to explain it to you."

He bent down to get another snowball, but I was quicker, for once.

"Throw that and I'll throw mine, Dai."

He paused mid-step and looked at me, surprised by my warning. I laughed as he dropped the snow and returned to his normal stance. "You suck."

"That's what everyone tells me!" I sang as I dropped my snowball and began walking again.

He caught up to me in no time flat. Looking at his watch, he zoomed forward. "C'mon! We only got two minutes until the car leaves!"

I ran behind him. The station was only five minutes away if we were walking, but about a minute and a half if we sprinted. We arrived just as the car was about to leave. Just before the car's door closed, we jumped on and grasped out knees, panting like crazy.

"Stupid…asthma…" I wheezed as I sat on a chair behind me, grasping my chest. "This…weather…just…makes…it…worse…"

A few minutes later, the car pulled into the second stop. When the doors opened, a wave of people piled in, escaping the cold, even if it was for a moment. Four people walked straight up to us.

"Morning!" the girl with the long brown hair greeted us.

"Hey, Risa," Daisuke replied with his sweet smile of his.

The second girl was spoke next. "Hello."

"Hi, Riku," I replied. My lungs still stung a bit as I spoke, but I barely noticed.

"Good morning, Niwa," the blue haired boy adjusted his glasses, then looked at me. "Ally."

"Mornin', Satoshi," I smiled as he sat next to me. Then, with a low enough voice so no one but me and him could hear, I added, "Krad."

I noticed him stiffen a bit, but no one else seemed to notice.

"Hey!" the last girl sang, her blonde hair accented with white drops of unmelted snow.

"Hey, Brianna!" Daisuke greeted her before I could.

Brianna also knew the secret. Most of the time, she would tag along with me and Dark when we went out on one of his thefts. She was kind and a great friend (not to mention that we have the same birthday).

The six of us were in the same class and were a great group of friends.

As Brianna sat down next to me, Risa, who was nearest the door, snapped her fingers. Almost immediately afterwards, she turned to look at the rest of us.

"Have any of you seen the news yet?" she asked.

I knew she was in love with Dark and I knew what she was talking about. Daisuke, staring at the youngest of the Harada twins, stiffened up a bit.

"Yeah," I replied, trying to change what she was about to mention. "There's that big sale going on at the mall this weekend. Anyone wanna go?"

"I would love to!" Brianna answered first.

"Not that," Risa sighed. "About Dark's stealing spree."

I failed in my attempt. My attention switched to Daisuke's and he was still stiffened.

"That was an interesting story," Satoshi replied suddenly, surprising me. He glared at Daisuke. "Five artifacts in one week. It's a new record. Don't you think, Niwa?"

I heard Daisuke gulp. He was nervous.

"He's so amazing!" Risa chirped. "I love him so much!"

Riku, the older Harada twin, crossed her arms and snorted. "Why do you love him, Risa?" she looked at her sister. "That thief is just another no good perverted womanizer."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daisuke tense up. His eyes were like they were earlier. Dark, I thought.

After a few minutes, the car stopped at the last stop. The six of us climbed off and walked to the school in the biting coldness of the winter air.

When we arrived at the school, we ducked into the building to find warmth. The hall was crowded and warm.

At the classroom, we all took off our coats and scarves we were wearing earlier to reveal our school uniforms. I sat down at my desk, soon joined by Daisuke, who sat behind me, and Brianna, her seat next to mine. Glancing around, no one was paying attention to us, so I leaned over to Daisuke.

Hey, Dai," I whispered, Brianna leaning towards us to listen. "Can I ask Dark a couple of things?"

Before his answer came, Satoshi walked up to us three, his face showing no signs of emotion.

"Excuse me," he began calmly. "May I speak to you three in private?"

"Um…" I thought for a second, then looked at Daisuke. He was nervous, but he still nodded at me. Turning back to Satoshi, I sighed. "Okay."

We stood and followed Satoshi to the closest janitor's closet, where he opened the door.

"In here, please," he readjusted his glasses.

As soon as we were all in, the blue-haired boy closed the door and turned towards us, leaning up against it.

"So," he looked at me. "How do you know about Krad?"

I tensed up. 'BUSTED!' I thought, balling my hands into fists.

"Ally? You okay?" I heard Brianna ask.

"Y-yeah," I replied, trying to think up of an excuse on how I knew. Daisuke had told me, but I couldn't ever tell Satoshi that.

I sighed. "Okay. Whenever you run off in pain during Dark's thefts, Krad would appear soon after. No one would see you when he was fighting Dark. So I just put two and two together. And then it hit me. You are also Krad. He is coexisting within your body."

Satoshi's face changed almost immediately. He was stunned.

After a few moments of silence, he began to clap slowly. 'Odd,' I thought. 'The Satoshi I know would never do that.'

"Great job," his voice was different. When he looked up at us, I heard a gasp escape everyone's throats, including my own.

His eyes were golden and slit like a cat's.

"Krad," I heard Daisuke mutter. When I looked at him, his hand was in his pocket.

'Must be a picture of the Harada twins,' I thought as I looked at Satoshi/Krad again.

He had already transformed. Satoshi's hair had gone from short and blue to a long, pony tailed blond. His outfit was white with golden lining and his bright white wings jutted out from his back. This was the angel known only by the name of Krad.

He swiftly walked towards me and I put my hands up to defend myself.

The white-clad angel chuckled. "Brave little girl, aren't we?" I flinched when he spoke in a cold voice.

When he reached me, I began to let out a cry for help, but my mouth was muffled by the angel's gloved hand.

"Oh, no," he breathed in my ear. "We don't want anyone else to get involved now, don't we?"

Tears began to appear in my eyes as Krad put both hands on my neck, picked me up off the ground with ease, and began to squeeze his fingers around my neck. I searched for air, but barely found any.

"Dai-su-ke!" I managed. "D-Dark! Bri-a-nna! Somebody! Help!"

I heard Krad grunt. Someone must have hurt him. Opening my eyes, I saw Brianna, who had a hold of his long ponytail. This caused Krad to loosen his grip on my neck.

"LET HER GO!" she yelled as Krad tried to get her off.

Suddenly, I felt only one hand on my now hurt neck and began to breathe again, but gasped at the sight. The white-clad angel had smacked her in the face and she laid in a ball on the ground.

"No…" I breathed as Krad's head turned to me again.

"Where were we?" he asked as he put his free hand back on my neck again and resumed choking me.

My eyelids felt heavy as Krad choked the living daylights out of me. Suddenly, I saw Daisuke change into Dark. His purple spiked hair was the same color as his amethyst eyes almost hiding behind his long bangs. He wore loose black clothing around his slender body. His attention was turned towards us.

"You know what, Kraddy?" he asked in a calm voice. His hand was practically thrown behind his head and balled up into a fist. "You're always such a jerk!"

Dark's hand flew forward and hit his counterpart right in the gut. Krad immediately withdrew his hands from me as he staggered back, hunched over in pain. My body hit the ground as I gasped for air. I saw Dark punch Krad over and over again as Brianna crawl over to me.

"Ally!" she began to cry. "Are you alright?!"

"Yeah," my voice was raspy, but at least I could speak again.

Dark quickly walked up to us. "C'mon!" he tugged on my arm. "Let's get out of here before he wakes up!"

"But everyone would see you!" I whispered. "How can we-"

He pointed to an air vent on the wall. "We can crawl through there and go back to Daisuke's house."

"Oh," Brianna sighed.

"But what about class?" I asked.

"Before we left, Daisuke told Riku silently to put our things outside the door and tell the teacher that we were absent when she took attendance," Dark explained.

"Okay," I opened the door and grabbed our things quickly. After I shut the door, I threw on my winter coat and Brianna did the same. Dark, however, was working on opening the vent. So, since he needed wings to fly home, I just held Daisuke's things.

"Okay, done!" he put the vent nearby so he could replace it later and held out his hand. "C'mon! This should lead to the roof, or at least a stair well."

I took his hand and he boosted me up to the vent, helping me crawl in. As I crawled further away from the scene, I heard Brianna enter the vent, then Dark as he replaced the vent.

We crawled until we reached another vent leading to a stair well.

"Dark!" I quietly yelled back at him. "This vent leads to the stairs!"

"Okay! Move over!" I heard him yell back. I obeyed and moved over as he crawled by me. Using his amazing skills, he began to open the vent silently. I could feel the heat emanating off his body and blushed slightly.

About a minute later, Dark put the vent cover beside him. "Let's go!"

I jumped out first and landed on my feet. Brianna came next and soon after, Dark came out. He replaced the cover and we ran up the stairs to the door at the top.

We burst onto the roof. The winter air sent chills down me and Brianna's body. I looked at Dark and he seemed unaffected by the weather. He went to the ledge of the roof and looked around. Sighing, he turned back to us.

"There's a lot of people walking about. Take off's gonna be hard, but we have no choice," he tensed up a bit, eyes wide, then added, "Krad's awake and he's running up the stairs as we speak. We need to move now!"

I ran up to Dark and Brianna followed. Dark's hand shot up into the air.

"WIZ!" he called. Soon, a white bunny-like animal appeared and transformed into the dark-clad angel's wings. As soon as Wiz placed himself onto Dark's back, the door burst open and Krad walked out.

"Thought you could get away, huh?" he hissed sinisterly. I clutched to Dark's warm body, scared out of my mind. "Think again!"

Krad pulled out a sword out of its sheath and raced towards us. He swung the sword and it landed right on my shoulder. Crimson blood flowed from the wound as I saw the white angel smile sinisterly.

I cried out in pain and flew back to the edge of the roof,. The way I laid made me almost fall off.

"ALLY!" Brianna cried as her footsteps got louder as she ran to me.

I saw Dark try to kick Krad, but ended up being slashed with the sword all the way up his forearm. He punched Krad in the stomach and the white-clad men fell in a crumpled mess, clutching his stomach.

"Let's go!" Dark scooped me up and then Brianna. Spreading his wings out wide, we flew off as I felt my conscious leave me.

"DDDDDAAAAARRRRRKKKKK!" I heard Krad scream as we flew off.

The pain from my wound overcame my body and I groaned as I placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Crap…" I muttered to myself. "I'm losing too much blood…"

"Are you alright?" I heard Dark ask me in a worried tone.

"I'm…fine…" I replied in a low voice. My surroundings became encased in darkness as I fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I awoke on a couch at Daisuke's house. Slowly, I sat up and scanned the room. The television was on and it showed a picture of Dark with Brianna and me in his arms. Looks like we've been spotted. Nearest the kitchen, the couch turned and a chair ended it.

"Ally!" I heard Brianna cry. She ran up and hugged me.

I winced at the pain in my shoulder. "OW!" I yelled.

"Sorry," she broke away from me.

I looked at my shoulder. It was bandaged up and throbbed with pain.

"How'd I get here? What happened?" I asked.

Brianna sighed. "You remember when Krad slashed your shoulder, right?" I nodded slowly at the memory. "Well, you passed out due to blood loss."

"Oh," I said. Then my eyes widened. "Wait!" I looked around again, quickly now, wincing at the pain and bit my lip, trying not to yell. "Where's Dark?"

"He's turned back to Dai and is being bandaged up by Towa," she replied.

I remembered. The Towa No Shirube was an artifact that could change into a human. She was the maid of the Niwa house, and was very sweet.

"Where?" I asked.

"Dai's room," came her reply.

I got off the couch. "I need to talk with Dark."

"About what?" Brianna asked.

"Just about one night after he stole something. You weren't with us."

"Oh," she stood up. "Got it."

"Alright. I'll see you in a minute."

"Okay."

I walked up the steps to Daisuke's room. When I opened the door, I saw Towa sitting on the couch next to Daisuke. She was bandaging up his forearm.

"Hello," I said.

"Hi, Ally," Daisuke replied.

"Hey!" Towa finished bandaging up his arm, put the things into the first-aid kit, and stood.

"Can we have a moment?" I asked politely.

"I was just about to leave myself, so sure!" Towa left.

I sighed. "I need to speak to Dark, please."

"Why?" Daisuke asked.

I sighed and sat next to him. "I just have some questions for him."

Daisuke stood and walked over to his desk. "Fine," he said as he picked up a picture of Riku and Risa. He stared at the picture for a few seconds, then dropped it. Bending over, he clutched his chest and gave off a low groan. A second later, Dark appeared in his spot.

"You wanted to speak to me?" he asked in his famous calm voice.

"Yah," I replied.

He sighed as he walked over and sat next to me. "How's your shoulder?"

I clutched the bandaged shoulder. "Yeah. It stings a bit, but it's much better."

"Good," he stretched and put his arm around me. I felt my face get red and stood up.

"Okay," I began. "So you remember when we were on one of your thefts and while we were running off, that girl saw you and asked you out on a date?"

Dark nodded.

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her no because…" he winked and pointed at me. "You were my girlfriend."

My face got red again. "Correct," I gulped. "Well, you know as well as me that we're not going out."

He stood up and walked towards me. "But you looked like you enjoyed being called my girlfriend," he put his warm hand under my chin and lifted my head up to meet his deep amethyst eyes.

I tried to pull him off, but he was too strong. He forced me against a wall near the door and I felt my face flush a deep red.

"Um…Dark…" I asked with a shaky voice. "What are you-"

Suddenly, Dark placed a hand on my cheek and leaned forward, pulling my face towards his.

"Dark-!" I yelled, but his lips pressed hard against mine. I felt his warm breath on my skin.

I had no idea why he was doing this. We just stood there, against the wall, for what seemed like eternity.

About a minute later, I managed to push him off. "Why. The. Crap. Did. You. Do. THAT?!" I yelled.

He licked his lips. "Mmmm…cherry chap stick," he whispered loudly.

I could only imagine about what Daisuke was yelling at Dark right now.

I raised my hand and smacked his face. "Change back to Dai. Now," I instructed. "I'm done talking to you."

"Fine," he rubbed his cheek as he changed back to the fourteen year old boy. He was rubbing his cheek too and I remembered that whenever Dark gets hurt, he gets hurt too.

"Oh, crap! Dai! I'm so sorry!" I apologized.

"It's fine," he replied. "Dark deserved it."

I giggled. "Just wait until Risa hears about this."

"Why do we need to tell her this?" Daisuke sat on the couch.

"I don't know," I smirked. "To make her jealous?"

He gulped. "No way!"

"Why not?"

"Because the last time we told her something about Dark that make her jealous, she went on a seek-and-destroy mission! We needed to calm her down."

"Oh," I remembered. "Fine, then this conversation will be our little secret, 'kay?"

Daisuke sighed. "Okay."

"Daisuke! Ally! Come on down to the kitchen I made some cookies!" we heard Emiko's voice yell up at us.

"Got it, mom!" Daisuke yelled back. "We'll be down in a minute!"

"C'mon!" I tugged on his sleeve. "If we don't get down there soon, your grandpa will eat them all up! Remember last week?"

"Oh yeah," he said. "Grandpa ate all the cookies before we even got home!"

I chuckled and Daisuke joined in. We sighed and I pulled on his sleeve again.

"C'mon!" I went to the door and opened it.

"Okay! Coming!" he followed right behind me.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As Daisuke and I ate the cookies, we watched the television. Nothing else was on, so we just turned on the news.

"This morning the police received yet another warning letter from Dark," a female reporter on the news said. I looked at Daisuke and his eyes were wide. Sighing, I turned my attention back to the television. "It says that he will attempt to steal the Amulet of the Heart this Saturday at 9 o'clock."

"MOM!" Daisuke suddenly yelled. I jumped.

"What is it, Dai?" Emiko asked.

"You said that we were going to wait for a few weeks before we stole that!"

"But, Daisuke," she ruffled his red hair. "You need to remember that a great Phantom Thief always steals when he is told to. We can't just sit around and not go thieving for a few weeks. After this time around, you don't need to worry about anything else but your own body."

Daisuke snorted, crossed his arms, and slumped back into his chair.

"So why send out the warning letter this early? It's only Monday," I looked confusingly at Daisuke's young mother.

She smiled at me. "Well, that's easy!" she rose her finger. "This artifact's power is great and if we sent the letter out on the day before, we wouldn't have enough time to train Dark to endure the power. If he touches it and he's not trained enough, it will drain his powers completely and turn back to Dai. So we need to train him more because, by my knowledge, he's never been on a mission like this."

Daisuke suddenly tensed up. I knew immediately what it was and, by the look on Emiko's face, she knew too.

"What'd he say? I asked once his body relaxed.

"He was yelling at mom about him not being trained enough," he replied.

"Now Dark," Emiko said out loud. "You know about this item. We need to train you. Just trust us."

Daisuke tensed up, but not much. "He sighed and told you that he would do it."

"Good," Emiko stood straight and walked over to the television. She turned it off and looked at us. "Why don't you two go outside and have a snowball fight or something? Ally, your stuff is in the kitchen."

I stood up and walked to the counter and threw on my coat, gloves, scarf, and hat.

"Thank you, Mrs. Niwa," I smiled at her.

"Oh, it's no trouble, Ally. And call me Emiko, 'kay?" she smiled back and I sighed quietly.

I looked at Daisuke. "C'mon."

He shook his head. "I'm not really in the mood," then he turned to look at me. "But Dark says he challenges you to a snowball fight."

My eyes widened and after about a minute of thinking, I went into a fighting stance. "Bring it on, thief! Me and Brianna will take you down!" then I straightened up and looked around. "Speaking of which, where is Brianna?"

"Oh, she's with Towa in her room just chatting up a storm," Emiko giggled as she took a picture from the counter and walked over to Daisuke. "If Dark's gonna do the snowball fight," she handed he photo to Daisuke and he looked at it. "You need to change."

Dark now sat where Daisuke once was. He stretched his arms. "Man, this is the third time I've changed today." He sighed.

I smiled. "Get ready for the beating of your life," I looked at him.

He returned my look. "The only one that's gonna get hurt is you."

Brianna and Towa came out, followed by Emiko. I hadn't noticed her absence.

"I'm ready," Brianna was already in her coat.

"Alright. Towa, will you be on my team?" Dark asked in a cool voice as he put on his jacket.

Towa blushed a very deep red. "Of course, Dark!" she put on her coat.

"Alrighty, then," I clapped my hands. "Everyone who is participating in this snowball fight outside and build your forts and your ammo. When both teams are finished building, the fight shall commence. First team to lose all their ammo loses. Limit one hundred snowballs per person, so two hundred per team."

"Let's go!" everyone cheered at once, raising their gloved hands into the air as we all made a big huddle with our hands still airborne.

As soon as we were all outside, Brianna and I began to build our fort, as well as Dark and Towa. Once Brianna and I were done, we made our snowballs.

"Let's hit Dark first while he's off guard," I whispered to Brianna.

"Why?" she asked in a low whisper. "Do you like him?"

I flushed red. "N-no," I snapped quietly back. "It's just… he will be the stronger one, so we need to take him out first."

"Did you… kiss him?" she asked playfully.

I felt a lump in my throat and gulped. "NO WAY!" I cried. "Why would you think that?" I was flailing my arms rapidly without realizing it.

"It's written all over your face," Brianna picked up all her snowballs and looked back at me. "You ready or what?"

I shook my head, clearing my head. "Yeah," I replied.

We stood up and I aimed at Dark's perfect hair. Suddenly, without any warning, he stood up and turned to look straight at my eyes. He flashed me a 'now-do-you-really-want-to-do-that?' look. I blushed and ducked down behind our fort.

"Oh, I can't do it!" I cried, my hands holding onto my head.

"Why?" Brianna asked.

"He's just-" I began, then stopped myself. I didn't want her to know that I secretly liked him. Slowly, I looked at her. "He's just… gonna be tough to defeat." I smiled inside my head at my words.

"Oh, alright," she stood up. "Then let's get them."

I nodded.

We stood up and I threw the first snowball of the fight at Dark's waiting back. Bullseye. He straightened up and looked around at us. I smiled at him.

"You cheater," he insulted me.

"You're one to talk, womanizer," I shot back.

He smirked as he picked up his snowballs, Towa following him.

"Oh, it is SO on!" Brianna spat at the opposite team.

All at once, we began to throw snowballs. One by one the cold white balls began to disappear from each team. We all got hit in the arms, chest, and head. Dark suddenly began to search around with Towa.

"We're all out," I heard her whisper loudly to him.

"Then let's make some more," he retorted quietly. "They won't notice."

I stood up and pointed at them. "No making more!" I shouted. "You lost."

They looked at me and Brianna. Then we all laughed.

"Time to go in." Towa stated as she stood up. "I'll make some hot chocolate."

As we all walked in, Dark stopped and grabbed my wrist. Towa and Brianna looked at us.

"We'll be right in," Dark stated.

"Okay," Brianna began to walk in again. "Don't be too long. Your hot chocolate will get cold."

After both girls were in and the glass door slid shut, I looked at Dark.

"What do you want?" I sighed.

He released my wrist and looked at me with eyes that looked romantic. Like he was asking a girl out.

'I ain't falling for it, Dark,' I thought. 'You can use that on any other girl in the world, but not-'

"Will you do out with me?" he broke my train of thought.

I just stared at him wide eyed. My mind couldn't find the words to fit my emotions.

I felt my heart speed up and my knees felt weak. It felt like a few good minutes passed by before anything was said.

I stumbled upon my words, then sighed. "You mean…as friends?"

Dark looked at me. "Uh…sure, if that's what you'd like."

I stared into his eyes. It was as if I were a fish and his eyes were the bait. Shaking my head, I said, "Yes."

Dark smiled and I returned his expression.

"Let's get inside," I broke out silence. "I need to warm up with some hot chocolate."

As I opened the screen door, my foot hit the small ledge and I began to fall forward.

"D-DARK!" was the only word I managed to say. Suddenly, my body felt like it was floating. I looked up at Dark's face.

"You okay, Ally?" he asked. My heart skipped a beat when he said my name. I snapped back to reality and sat up, out of his warm embrace.

"Yeah," I replied. "Thanks."

"Hot chocolate!" Towa and Brianna sang loudly.

"Perfect," I stood up. My legs felt like jelly and I almost fell forward again, but Dark caught me once more.

He chuckled. "You're so clumsy," he whispered into my ear. "I like that." Chills were sent down my spine as his warm breath tickled my ear. The thief helped me to the couch as Brianna brought me some warm refreshment.

"What happened?" she asked, sitting by me.

"Nothing, we just talked." I replied, setting my cup down and removed my coat and scarf. I slipped off my gloves as Dark sat right next to me.

I remembered him asking me out and thought about what Daisuke was yelling again. Smiling, I took a sip of my hot chocolate and sat back, watching the news again, not caring if Dark's arm was slung over my shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"I'm home," I sighed, opening the door to my house. I was really glad to be home after all the events that occurred at school today.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" my mother's shrill voice made me jump out of my skin. She came around the corner and hugged me.

"What…do you mean?" I asked in between my gasps of air.

She let me go and crossed her arms. I then began to take off my jacket. "The teacher at Azumano Middle School called and told me that she was sorry you weren't there today. I was so…" her eyes now rested upon my bandaged shoulder that now lay exposed to wandering eyes. Her expression change from angry to worried. "What happened to your shoulder?!"

'Crap!' I thought. 'I forgot to hide my shoulder.'

"Um…" I was trying to come up with a good lie to fool her. "Uh…yeah. I was walking up the steps after getting to school this morning. Me and Dai were talking and I lost my footing and fell backwards. Dai tried to catch me, but he was too slow and I fell out the first floor window. Luckly, only my shoulder got cut, nothing else. Some teachers came to help me, along with Dai, and called an ambulance." I felt like I was over explaining this, but I continued anyway. "I was at the hospital until school got out so the doctors could make sure I was going to be fine. Dai walked with me until he got home, then I came back here."

My mother's face showed confusion and interest. I think I got her fooled. But I wished she'd had work. She worked Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Today was Monday, so she was home.

"I'm glad Dai walked home with you. He's a good friend." She said, hugging me again. Then she let go. "One last question."

"Okay." Now I was confused.

"Why'd it take you so long to get home?" she asked.

I felt a gasp coming up, but it caught in my throat. Dark had asked me out, but I couldn't tell her that! She knew Dark was a thief and she didn't like him. Desperately, I thought of my reason once again.

"Daisuke asked me out!" I heard myself blurt out Daisuke's name. Then I added, "I mean, just as friends. Not boyfriend and girlfriend." That part was true. But not the person.

"Oh, how sweet," she smiled. "When is it?"

"Uh, tomorrow," I told her. Me and Dark hadn't figured out a date yet. I'll call him later to tell him.

"Oh, nice." She patted my good shoulder. "How 'bout you go to your room and I'll make you a snack?"

"Alright," I picked up my stuff off the ground. "I want to call Dai anyway, just to talk to him."

"Okay," she walked back to the kitchen and I raced upstairs, pounding in Daisuke's cell phone number.

As soon as I got to my room, I shut the door and put the phone up to my ear. It rang twice before someone answered.

"Hello?" Dark's voice answered.

I sat on my bed. "Hey, Dark. It's Ally."

"Oh, hey," he replied. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much," I retorted through the phone. "I got home and, oh yeah, I told my mom I fell out the window and that's what cut my shoulder. And, um… oh yeah," my voice had a bit of worry in it. "I told my mom I was going out tomorrow night with Daisuke."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. I think it lasted about a minute before anything was said.

"Shut up, Daisuke," Dark spat quietly. It sounded like his hand was on the mouthpiece. "I know you're worried, but there's nothing we can do."

"Um, Dark," I broke into the conversation. "I can hear you."

"Oh, sorry," his voice was now louder. "Daisuke was just yelling at me. He wants to know why you told your mother you were going out with Daisuke tomorrow?"

"Well, truth be told," I started. "My mother doesn't like you, so if she found out I was going out with you, the notorious Phantom Thief, she would be so mad."

Again, more silence. I bet Dark was thinking about my mom's dislike of him.

"Okay," he sighed. "Here's what we'll do. Daisuke will pick you up around six tomorrow afternoon and he'll change into me once we're about half a mile away from your neighborhood."

"Okay," I agreed. "I guess I'll see you two tomorrow. Bye Daisuke, Dark."

"Daisuke says see you at school," Dark replied. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon for our date."

I hung up and fell backwards onto my bed, sighing.

"If Dark's plan works," I whispered to myself. "Nothing can go wrong tomorrow night."

My mom called me from in the kitchen. "Ally! Your snack is ready! Come and get it!"

"Be right there mom!" I replied, changing into sweats and a t-shirt and ran down to the kitchen.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Oh my gosh, Brianna!" I announced loudly to my friend. "You will never guess what happened to me yesterday!"

We were looking for our usual bench we always sat at during lunch. Luckly, it was vacant, like it is every day.

"What?" she replied after taking a seat on the bench.

I sat down right next to her and put down my lunch, then turned towards her. "Dark Mousy asked me out!" I had to control myself from keeping from screaming out loud.

"Is that what he talked to you about yesterday after the snowball fight?" she unwrapped her box lunch and picked up a pair of chopsticks.

I nodded as I unwrapped my lunch. "Yep!" I took a bite of rice and chewed it quickly. Swallowing, I continued. "But when I got home, I told my mom that I fell out the window in the stairwell and was at the hospital. That's my explanation for the shoulder." I placed a hand on my shoulder. "I also told my mom that I was late getting home because…" I paused, then sighed. "Daisuke asked me out on a date."

"Why'd you tell her Dai asked you out, and not Dark?" Brianna tilted her head slightly to the right.

"Because she doesn't like Dark since he's a thief. If I told her that Dark asked me out, she'd kill me!" I answered. "So I called Dark after the conversation and told him to pick me up as Dai and change into Dark when we're a safe distance from my house."

Brianna took another bite from her sushi. "Wow, sounds complicated."

"Nah," I replied. "It'll work out." I crossed my legs and kicked back, using my chopsticks to roll around a small clump of rice. "Besides, what could go wrong? If something went awry, the Phantom Thief will be there to protect everyone." I picked up my water bottle and took a drink.

"So, you two going out as boyfriend and girlfriend?"

I almost spat out the water in my mouth when I heard Brianna say that. "No way!" I retorted. "Just as friends!"

"Yeah, yeah," she put the lid on her box. "Hey, why don't you come over to my house after school for a little bit?"

"Sure," I put the lid on my box and stood up just as the bell rang. "Let's go. I don't wanna be late."

We walked to class together. I was wondering why Brianna asked me to come over suddenly.

After school, Brianna and I were walking over to her house when Daisuke ran up to us.

"What did you tell your mom, besides the dating thing?" he asked.

"Oh, I told her my shoulder got hurt because we were walking up the stairwell and I slipped and fell out the window and was in the hospital until school got out and you walked me home." I replied easily.

"Oh," he sighed. "Where you two headed now?"

Brianna leaned over towards me and whispered in a low voice so Daisuke couldn't hear, "Nosy, huh?"

"We're headed to Brianna's house," I replied. "Wanna come?"

"Sure, if Brianna's okay with it," he looked over to her.

"It's fine with me," she shrugged.

A few minutes later, we arrived at Brianna's house.

"Please come in." she said with a smile.

We walked in and took our shoes off at the door.

"I want to show you my room. Follow me," she walked up the stairs. I followed closely behind her, followed by Daisuke. He knew we couldn't let our guards down or something bad might happen, like Krad appearing suddenly.

Brianna stopped in front of a door and touched the handle. "Here we are."

She opened it up and all three of us stepped inside. Daisuke's mouth hung open wide and so did mine. Brianna was only fifteen and she was an amazing artist. Paintings hung on the walls looked as if they'd been painted by DaVinchi. Blank and half-painted canvases littered the floor, along with paints, brushes, and tarps.

"I know, but I just love to paint. Runs in the family," Brianna told us.

"It's okay," I retorted. "I like to draw, but it's not as good as this!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Daisuke tense up like he does when Dark's talking to him. Brianna didn't seem to notice because she kept on walking through her maze of paint supplies. I wanted to know what he said, but I waited.

"So why'd you want us to come over?" I asked.

"Yeah, I got to get home." Daisuke said. "I need to…get my homework done."

"I just wanted to talk," she sat on her bed and sighed. She pulled open a drawer on her nightstand and pulled out a camera. "And take a picture of you two. I wanna paint a picture of you."

"Why not now?" I picked up a blank canvas and placed it on her easel. Then I sat down on the bench next to it. Daisuke sat next to me.

"Sure, it'll be much better than a plain old picture." She put the camera away and sat on the stool in front of her canvas. Then she began to eyeball the canvas, then me and Daisuke, then back to the canvas. "It may take a while, but I'll try to be done as soon as possible, 'kay?"

"Alright," Daisuke sighed.

Brianna picked up a few brushes laying nearby as well as a plate that holds paints in little round divots. She then filled those holes with various colors. Then, dipping her small brush into the black paint, she began to paint on the canvas. Every now and then, she'd look over at us and paint again.

"Done," she sighed after about an hour and a half. "What do you think?"

Daisuke and I stood up and looked at the painting. It looked just like us: Daisuke's spiky bright red hair and my brunette hair laying just past my shoulders was accented beautifully with barely faded blonde streaks.

"Wow, it's so…" I was at a loss for words.

"Beautiful." Daisuke finished my sentence. He looked at his watch and almost screamed. "It's 4:30! I need to be home in 22 minutes!" he ran out the door.

"I'll see you later 'kay?" I told Brianna.

"Okay, bye," she replied. "Thanks for coming over."

I nodded as I shut the door.

Outside the house, Daisuke waited for me. "I really need to get home if I wanna get ready for our date at 5:30."

"Okay, so," I sighed. "What did Dark say?"

"He said that he's suspicious because Hiwatari also likes to paint, so she may be related in some way." Daisuke answered.

"No way!" I shouted. "That's silly Dark!"

Daisuke tensed up a bit. Then he relaxed and sighed. "Dark said it's a possibility."

"No way, Dark," I huffed as I walked away from him.

As usual, Daisuke caught up to me instantly. We walked in silence back to our houses. Daisuke's house was first, then mine was just about a mile away.

We stopped in front of his house and Daisuke looked at me.

"I guess I'll see you at 5:30," he told me before walking up to the door.

"See you later," I replied as I continued walking to my house.

I had so much on my mind. So much that it was crazy. My mom had to work until seven tonight, so I had time to sort everything out and….

"Oh crap!" I slapped my forehead. I needed to call Daisuke and tell him he could come as Dark since my mom had to work. Putting my feet to work, I walked fast to get home.

About five minutes into my walk from Daisuke's house, I got tired and began to pant. Asthma is a pain in the butt. Especially in winter. As I grabbed my knees and tried to catch my breath, I had forgotten why I was walking fast. My head ached so badly that everything was a blur as my thoughts ran wild in my brain.

Once I caught my breath, my mind came to and I remembered I needed to call Daisuke. I began walking again, slower this time. My house was on the other side of a short bridge at the end of a cliff that began half a mile away from my house.

I arrived at it and looked across the bridge to see my house. The cliff was about a football field long. My eyes scanned the houses until I saw it at a curve far away, but close enough to see. Placing a hand on the rope, I took one step onto the bridge.

And then it happened.

A sword with what looked like a golden handle swung in front of me and the rope of the bridge snapped. The bridge fell and broke into a million bits. As the pieces fell into the ocean, I caught my balance and stumbled back to see a shadow with wings and long hair on the ground. I gasped and nervously looked slowly back to see who it was.

"K-Krad," I whispered to myself as I saw who it was.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I stood speechless at the white clad angel in front of me. He held the sword he used to cut the bridge and my shoulder.

"Hello again," he spoke at last. "Ally."

My stomach clenched when he said my name. The way he says my name makes my stomach turn upside down.

"Why, you don't look at all happy to see me," Krad shrugged. "Why is that?" he smiled sinisterly.

I didn't say a word.

Krad's smile disappeared and turned into a frown. "Why?" he stated more sternly.

Again, I didn't answer.

Krad flew up to me and grabbed my cheeks with his free hand. "WHY?!" he yelled.

"Let…me…go…" I struggled to get him off. Tears began to form in my eyes.

The sadistic angel leaned his face closer to me. "Let me tell you something," he began. "Right here, right now." I shivered when his hot breath hit my face. "My whole life is devoted to destroying My Other Half, Dark Mousy. You have gone with him to every theft for the past six months. Now, since you are on his side, you shall die."

I gasped. Tears now flowed like a waterfall down my face. "No!" I said.

"What?"

"I said 'no'," I repeated. "Dark won't…let you! You sadistic creep!" it felt like a ton of weight was taken off my shoulders when I said that.

Krad's face was now red as a cherry. He put me down. "What did you call me?!"

"You heard me." I placed my hands on my hips. "You…sadistic…creep."

He yelled as he swung the sword and I jumped back, the tip barely missing my foot. I looked up.

"Someone's cranky," I teased. "What, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bird nest this morning?"

His face got even redder. The bird nest joke set him off. Looking behind me, I noticed that I was almost on the edge of the cliff.

While I was occupied, I didn't notice Krad raise his sword again. When I saw the shadow, I turned in fright to see him just in front of me. I did not have time to jump out of the way.

He swung the sword down but I was too frightened that my brain wasn't working. It was like my legs had a mind of their own. They moved back and I fell right off the side of the cliff.

Once I knew what was happening, I looked down. The cliff was one hundred feet high, so I was falling to certain death.

I screamed and closed my eyes. As I fell, I felt the tears' wetness on my sore cheeks.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAARK!" I screamed as loud as I could.

Suddenly, it felt as if I was flying. It wasn't me. I felt sudden warmth when the sensation began.

"You getting into a lot of trouble lately, Ally," a familiar voice said.

My eyes shot open. The cloth was a black, no-sleeved raised collar shirt with white accents around the ends of the sleeves and straight down the middle. I looked up to see deep purple hair.

"Dark!" I cried, tears streaming down my face. I wrapped my arms around his warm chest and pressed up against it.

"I think should get you home," he changed direction. Now we headed towards my home.

"Don't think you're getting away, Dark Mousy!" Krad's voice rang loudly.

He was flying after us. Dark growled as he flew across the two hundred foot long area where the bridge once stood.

"Crap," he veered out of the way as a white beam shot past us. I gasped loudly as Dark's grip on my body tightened. "Better hold on, Ally. This may be a bumpy ride!"

I listened and hugged him tighter.

"Get back here!" Krad yelled. He shot another beam, which Dark successfully dodged again.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the fight.

Suddenly, Dark turned again. I opened up my eyes to see us going away from my house, Krad still following us.

"Darn it, Krad," Dark cursed under his breath.

I hugged Dark tighter as we went straight down towards the water. We were a hundred feet in the air and falling fast towards the water.

"Dark!" I yelled. "What are you-"

"Don't worry," he interrupted me. "I know what I'm doing!"

I hoped so.

Once we were several feet above the water, he straightened out and flew sideways again, but Krad was still flying about fifty or sixty feet behind us. He still shot beams at us, which Dark kept dodging.

I looked at Krad and gasped. He was pulling a white feather out and aiming the pointy end towards Dark's back. Frantically, I tugged on Dark's shirt.

"Dark! Dark!" I screamed, still looking at Krad. "Look out!"

Krad shot the feather out quickly. I tugged at Dark's shirt more frantically, my eyes locked on the feather.

"Look out!" I screamed louder, now looking at Dark's face.

"Don't worry, I'm-" his voice was cut short as the white feather dug itself into Dark's back.

"DARK!" I cried, tears streaming out of my eyes.

He opened one eye and half smiled down at me. "I'll-be fine," he said in a pain-filled voice. "Let's just-get you home."

We flew off towards my house as Dark's crimson blood stained my hands and forearms.

"Dark! I shall get you! And your little girlfriend too!" Krad yelled.

As soon as we got to my house, Dark put me down and grabbed his head. Wiz jumped off his back and landed on my shoulder, his paws a bit red.

"Dark…" I grabbed his shoulder as he began to fall forward.

"I'm fine," he whispered painfully.

"No, you're not." I stated. "We need to call Emiko and tell her what happened." I put his hand over my shoulder and walked in.

I put him on the couch and grabbed a first-aid kit. He sat quietly as I walked over and sat next to him. Opening the box, I pulled out a big roll of bandages and a cloth.

"Take your shirt off." I instructed.

He did as I said and put the shirt on the floor. That was blood soaked. I began to clean up the blood around his wound and the feather, buried half way into his back.

'Man,' I thought. 'He's just so…silent. He's obeying me even though he's injured badly.' I blushed. His back was strong. The feather had hit him square in the middle of his shoulder blades, a bad spot.

"Okay," I sighed, grabbing the feather in between my fingers. "I'm gonna start to pull out the feather, so you may want to bite into this." I handed him a washcloth. He took it without a word and placed it in his mouth.

"Okay," I sighed. "I'm gonna pull it out in three…two…one." I tugged the feather and it slid out a bit. Dark gave off a low yell of pain as the feather slid out.

About a minute later, I managed to pull the feather out completely. The boy relaxed as I threw the bloody feather to the floor. I grabbed a clean cloth and began to wipe away the new blood.

"Alright," I told him. "I'm going to wrap the bandage tightly around your wound. Then I'll call Emiko."

He just nodded.

'Why isn't he talking?' I thought, wrapping the bandage around him.

Once I was done, I stood up. "Okay, it's five now. My mom won't be home for another two hours. I'm gonna call Emiko."

Dark nodded again, his head still down. 'What's bugging him?' I thought picking up the phone and dialing Daisuke's home phone number.

"Hello?" Emiko's voice sounded worried.

"Hi, Emiko," I replied. "It's me, Ally."

"Oh, Ally," she sighed. "Have you seen Dai? He was supposed to be home by now."

"Well, that's why I called." I looked at Dark. 'He looks depressed. Is he alright?' I thought.

"What?" Emiko broke my train of thought. "What is it?"

"Well, on my way home, Krad attacked me and Dark rescued me." I explained. I then remembered she got home with Kosuke, Daiki, and Towa at five exactly, so Daisuke got home before and left before. "While he was flying me home, Krad shot a feather and it landed in between Dark's shoulder blades. He's here right now. I bandaged him up, but…"

"What is it, Ally?" she asked.

"Has something been bothering Dark lately?" I lowered my voice so Dark couldn't hear. "While I was helping him, he never talked."

"Um…not that I know of." Emiko replied. "But we're coming now to get him."

"Please hurry." I said. "Bring your first-aid kit please. The bandages I used are not going to last long." I noticed a worried tone in my voice. A tear ran down my cheek.

"Of course, Ally." She replied. "I'll see you in a minute." She hung up.

I put the phone on the receiver and walked in to pick up Dark's shirt and the feather.

"Ally," Dark's voice startled me.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you…" he said. "for helping me out."

I smiled. "No. I should be thanking you for rescuing me."

Wiz, who was lying on the back of the couch, let out a "kyuu!" and jumped onto my shoulder.

I pet his head. "You too, Wiz." I looked up at Dark and felt a gasp catch in my throat.

He was crying.

"What's wrong, Dark?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's just…" he wiped the tear away and looked at me with a fake smile. "I'm just so happy someone like you…cares for a thief like me."

My heart squeezed. That was one of the most nicest things he has ever said to me. I smiled back at him. "No problem." I replied, feeling a tear in my eye.

I stood up and threw the feather away. As I walked past Dark to put his shirt on the table near the hall, I felt a strong hand on my wrist.

I looked at Dark. "What's up?" I asked.

With no reply, he pulled my arm and I sat down next to him. He took my neck and placed his lips on mine. My eyes widened as I felt his warm breath on my skin. I dropped the shirt on the floor.

This was the second time he has kissed me in a week.

We were alone. No one around. I felt like we were the only one's on Earth again.

I closed my eyes and put my arms around his neck. Kissing him back, my heart felt like it was going to break my ribs. It was as if I've known him forever.

He pulled away and I sat there, dazed at what just happened. Then he put his arms around me and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back.

Then he said three words I will never forget.

"I love you."

I was amazed at his words because I loved him too.

Just as I opened my mouth to reply, the doorbell chimed loudly. I pushed him away and smiled.

"I'll be right back," I stood up and ran, still dazed, to the door.

"Hi, Ally," Emiko smiled as I opened the door. Behind her was Towa, Kosuke, and Daiki.

"Come right in." I smiled back. "Dark's in the living room."

They followed me to the living room where Dark was sitting on the couch. Emiko, being the woman she is, ran right up to him and hugged him.

"Oh, I was so worried!" she cried, looking at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he replied as the others crowded around him.

Towa took off the bandages and began to expertly clean his wound. He winced, but looked at me and smiled. I smiled back.

What happened a few minutes before was between me, him, and Daisuke.

"Done." Towa said, pretending to wipe the sweat off her forehead.

She had cleaned the wound up better than I did and rewrapped it with better bandages.

"Let's go home," Kosuke stated. "We need to get dinner going." He looked at me as the others stood up. "Do you wanna join us?"

I waved my hands in front of me. "Oh, no. I can cook something up here." I picked up Dark's shirt and handed it to its rightful owner. "Here you go."

"Thanks." He slid it on. When he turned away, I saw the big hole lined with dried crimson blood where Krad's feather hit him.

"Thank you, Ally," Emiko thanked me.

"No problem." I replied.

They left and Dark stopped at the end of my driveway. He turned to look back at me and smiled. But it wasn't his regular smile. It was an I-love-you kind of smile.

I smiled back and closed the door. When I locked it, I sighed and leaned up against the door.

Man, both Monday and today, Krad had attacked us. Wonder what would happen tomorrow, I went to the kitchen and began to make something to eat.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Satoshi sighed as he unlocked the door to his apartment. He lived alone, but he kind of enjoyed it. It was quiet and peaceful. Except when Krad bullied him.

He threw his book bag onto his twin sized bed, took off his shoes, and proceeded to the small kitchen. Suddenly, his eyes went wide with pain and he fell to his knees, one hand clutching his chest.

"So, Master Satoshi," a voice inside him said casually. "Did you enjoy today's little performance?"

"What do you want, Krad?" the blue haired boy gritted his teeth in pain.

"Well, the feather I threw and hit Dark?"

"Yeah."

"Well, there's a special purpose to it."

Satoshi grabbed the wall with his free hand and pulled himself painfully to his feet. "What?"

"The feather had poison in it that takes affect thirty minutes past the hour."

Satoshi looked at the clock on the wall. It was 5:20. "It hit Dark at 4:50! I don't have-"

"You have no time, Master Satoshi." Krad warned inside him. "Master Niwa's house is ten minutes away. You'll never make it in time."

"SHUT UP!" the blue haired boy shouted. "Just shut up! Leave me alone!"

"Take my warning seriously, Master Satoshi." Krad warned and disappeared.

Satoshi, free from pain, grabbed his coat, phone, and notebook. He pulled on his shoes and his jacket. Then, grabbing his keys, he ran out of the room to go warn the Niwas about Krad's warning.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I sat on the couch, watching television and eating a tv dinner when the phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked when I answered.

"Hello, Ally," Emiko's worried voice.

"Hi, Emiko. What's the matter?"

"It's Dark," she replied. I heard myself gasp softly.

"What's…wrong?"

"He's…um…"she began. Then her voice became distant when someone else began to talk to her.

"Hello, Ally," Satoshi's voice replaced Emiko's.

"Satoshi," I began, now worried. "What's wrong with Dark?"

"Well," he began. "Krad told me something shocking."

"What?!" I demanded. I couldn't wait any longer.

"He's been poisoned."

My eyes went wide and my breath caught in my throat. Dark was poisoned because of me! I had to catch myself on the counter behind me. "How…" I tried to keep from crying.

"The feather Krad threw had poison in it that takes affect thirty minutes past the nearest hour. It was 4:50 when it hit Dark and I left my apartment at 5:20. What time did he leave your house?"

"Um…5:15..." I choked.

"I arrived when the poison just began to take affect. But it hasn't done too much. You need to come over right away. Dark has requested you do."

"I understand." I said in my most serious tome I could. "Just one little question. How do I get over there? The bridge I know is gone."

"There is another bridge just outside your neighborhood that leads to the Niwa's house. It has a small set of stairs on the side of the rocks that'll lead to it. The cliffs it attaches to are close together so it takes about five minutes by walking."

"I'll be there in less than five if Dark really wants me there. How's he doing?" I asked, tears stinging my cheeks with their saltiness.

"He's okay right now, but I'm betting it'll get worse by six."

I checked the time on the wall clock. "Okay. It's 5:35 now. I'm on the way right now."

"Alright." Satoshi hung up.

I put the phone on the receiver and walked over silently to the coat rack.

"Wait, my mom!" I ran to the phone and dialed her number.

"Hello? Ally?" she asked.

"Mom, I may not be home until late." I explained. "Daisuke has been…hurt badly and I need to be there for him. I may not even be home until tomorrow morning. All I know from Emiko is that he's hurt and wants me over there."

"Okay, sweetheart," she replied. "Just be safe. I love you."

I sighed. "I love you. Bye." I hung up. Turning off the television and throwing away my dinner, I opened the door to leave.

"It's raining, but I don't care!" I threw my hat on and ran to the bridge.

Just like Satoshi had said, the bridge was there. It had about six steps leading to the actual platform, which was about as long as the former one I used. I stepped onto the bridge and ran as fast as I could. My hat on my jacket fell off, revealing my brunette hair to the rain, but I didn't care. Dark needed me.

I arrived at the house a bit later. Panting like crazy, I took a deep breath and knocked on the door with a shaky hand.

"Hello, Ally." Emiko answered the door. "Please come in."

"Thank you," I took of my shoes and followed her to the living room. When I saw the scene, I gasped.

Dark was laying on the couch, eyes closed, panting. Daiki, Kosuke, and Towa all sat on the floor near him, with two extra spaces for me and Emiko. Satoshi sat on the other end of the couch, looking concerned. I ran over to the spot near his head and sat down.

"Dark?" I asked in a shaky voice, trying not to cry. "You alright?"

He sighed painfully and turned his head, one eye open. "Ally," he said softly. "You came."

"Of course I did." I replied. "But…this is all my fault."

"No it's not." Kosuke told me. I looked over at him, teary eyed. "Dark chose to save you from death. You did not cause him to do this."

I nodded and looked at Dark. "So what's going to happen now? Are we going to take him to the hospital?"

"We can't," Satoshi stood and walked over to me. He sat down. "If we do, there will be a chance he will get arrested."

"Besides," Daiki said. "I know the only way to cure him."

"How?" I asked.

The room was quiet for a while, then Daiki spoke.

"I know a spell that'll surely cure him."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"That spell, dad?" Emiko asked. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." Daiki replied. "But we need to get Dark to the basement."

"He's poisoned!" I cried. "If we try to move him, the poison will spread quicker!"

"Ally's got a point." Satoshi supported me. "If Dark does move, there's a risk the poison will injure him more. Is there any chance we could do the ritual up here?"

Daiki stroked his white beard for a minute, thinking, then stood up. "I guess we can. Emiko, go get the robes and staffs."

"Alright, dad!" she ran off.

Daiki looked over at Towa and Kosuke. "Can you two get a bowl of water and a few washcloths to put on his forehead. It may give him a headache after the ritual."

"Sure thing!" Towa chirped. The two stood up and ran off.

Daiki now switched his attention to me and Satoshi. "Can you two take the blanket off Dark, then his shirt? We need his chest bare in order for the ritual to work."

"Okay," Satoshi answered.

I didn't answer, but nodded slowly. Satoshi stood up and grabbed the blanket covering Dark. His blue eyes spotted me and he knelt down, placing a hand on my back.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," I replied.

"Are you sure?"

"No." I spoke in a shaky tone.

"Here you go, dad!" Emiko placed the robes and staffs next to her dad, then looked at me. "Ally, are you okay?"

"She's probably nervous," Satoshi told her.

"Oh, okay," she switched back to her dad.

"I'm just nervous because," I began. Then I looked at Daiki, who was putting on his black robe. "I'm not sure if this will work."

"It will," he assured me. "I've tried it out many times and it worked every time."

"Okay," I sighed, standing up. I felt dizzy, as if my legs were going to give at any moment. Putting a hand to my forehead, I stumbled back a bit.

Luckly, Satoshi and Emiko were there. They reached over and grabbed me, holding my body still.

"Are you sure you are alright, Ally?" Emiko asked.

"I'm fine," I replied. "I'm just a little nervous." I stood up on my own now.

"Okay," she crossed her arms. "If you get too nervous and feel sick, just tell me and you can go into another room for a while."

"Got it." I walked over to Dark and grabbed the blanket just as Satoshi did. I gulped. "Ready?"

"Yep. On three," he replied. "One…two…three."

We ripped the blanket off and put it aside. Dark was sweating a lot and panting harder than when I got there.

"Daiki," Satoshi looked over at Daisuke's grandfather. "He's getting worse."

"Okay. Then we need to hurry." Daiki grabbed his staff just as Emiko began putting on her robe. "Take his shirt off."

We did as he instructed. I unzipped his top, revealing his chest. Satoshi lifted his upper body a bit and I slid his shirt quickly from under him.

"Here's the water." Towa placed the bowl of water on the table.

"And the washcloths." Kosuke put them next to the water.

"I'm ready." Emiko looked at her father.

"Okay." He looked at us. "Everyone, please step away from Dark."

We all did as he and Emiko stood on either side of the couch. They threw their staffs up, just hovering above Dark's body. Daiki began to chant a spell and Emiko joined in.

A wave of dizziness rushed over me and I put a hand on my head. My other hand searched for anything to help me stand up. Satoshi, Towa, and Kosuke all supported me.

"What's the matter?" Towa asked in a whisper so she wouldn't disturb the ritual.

"Yeah," I lied. "It's just that…something random happened."

"What?" Satoshi whispered quietly.

"A wave of huge dizziness came over me twice, one just before the ritual and one now."

"Can it be that you are somehow connected to Dark?" Kosuke whispered.

"I don't know…" I replied just as another wave of dizziness came over me.

"Ally," Satoshi whispered softly. "Sit down for a second."

The three helped me over to the couch. I sat down and looked over at Dark. It seemed as if the ritual was almost over.

"To all the spirits and angels connected to this body," Daiki chanted and Dark began to glow.

"Cure him of all poisons and restore his strength!" Emiko added.

Dark's body began to glow blindingly bright. I shielded my eyes.

After a few seconds, the glow began to die down and I looked over at Dark. He seemed a bit better, but still looked bad.

"Towa!" Emiko cried. "Get Dark a wet washcloth."

Towa ran to the bowl, dipped a washcloth in it, and gave it to Emiko, who placed it on Dark's forehead.

"You alright Ally?" Towa asked again.

"Yeah," I sighed.

Emiko and Daiki looked over at me. "What happened?" Daiki asked.

"She almost fainted twice during the ritual." Satoshi explained.

Emiko walked over to me and felt my forehead. "She isn't sick." She stated.

"Maybe she's connected to Dark somehow," Kosuke said.

"Maybe," Daiki walked over to me. He lifted his staff above me and chanted a small spell. The staff began to glow a bit, then went away.

"There's a very small power source within her, like Dark's, but it's probably nothing." He spoke with a serious tone.

"Maybe," I shrugged.

"You should stay the night." Emiko stated.

"I don't want to be a bother." I retorted.

"Oh, don't be silly." She assured me. "Towa, go grab her a pillow and blanket."

"I'm fine." I said.

"You should stay here just in case that power source becomes anything serious." Daiki sternly explained.

I sighed. "Fine," I agreed.

"Should I call your mom?" Emiko asked just as Towa returned with the pillow and blanket.

"I already informed her." I said. "She knows I'm over here because I told her Dai was hurt." I thought for a second. "How bad is Dai?"

"He's fine. The spell worked on both of them." Daiki took of his robe.

"That's good." I said, reaching for the remote. "Will Dark be ready by Saturday for the heist?"

"Yes. But we need to squeeze two days of training into one day, because of today." Kosuke replied.

"Okay." I turned on the television, but turned it down low. "Thank you for allowing me to stay here."

"No problem." Emiko smiled, sitting down next to me. She had already taken off the robe. I noticed Daiki and Kosuke gather up everything and walk off.

"I need to go now," Satoshi walked towards the door. "I'll see you later, Ally."

"Bye, Satoshi." I replied as he walked out of the room.

Two hours later I laid my head onto the pillow and my eyes felt heavy. My mind was running wild. I jumped when I heard Dark stir a bit. Standing up, I walked over and knelt by him.

"Ally?" he whispered.

"Shh." I whispered back. "You need to rest."

He smiled softly and closed his eyes. I smiled and brushed his bangs out of his eyes.

"Good night, Dark," I kissed his cheek. I walked back over to the other side of the couch, laid down, and closed my eyes. Then, in a low enough voice so Dark wouldn't hear me, I said, "I love you."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I felt my eyelids get heavy as I turned off the television. It was about eleven at night and usually fell asleep at ten, but I just couldn't. All because of what Dark said to me.

"I love you," repeated over and over in my head in his sweet voice. I looked over at him. The light emanating off the moon shone through the glass back door and lit his face. He was gorgeous when he slept. This was the first time I've ever seen him asleep.

I sighed, sat up, face towards the back door, and put my hands together. "Please help me. I need to protect the ones I love in any situation. I especially want to protect Dark the most. I never ever want to see this ever happen again to him all because of me. So please give me the strength to protect him and everyone." I prayed in the dead of night.

I laid down and closed my eyes. "Please…" I whispered as I fell into a deep sleep.

A while later, I woke up and saw nothing around me. I looked around to see if I could make anything out, but nothing appeared.

"Is anyone there?" I yelled. My voice echoed back to me.

"Hello, Ally." A feminine voice answered. "I've been waiting for this day for a long while."

I began to look for the source of the voice. "Who are you?" I asked loudly.

Suddenly, a room with three chairs appeared with a light. A window decorated the wall. In one of the chairs sat a girl who looked just like Dark, but with a ponytail and her clothes looked like the feminine version of the ones Dark wore today with a hoodie. She looked like she could be Dark's twin sister.

"Hey," she spoke calmly. She patted the chair next to her with her wrist-bandaged hand. "Come and sit for a minute. I need to talk to you."

Nervously, I walked over and sat. "Who are you?"

"My name is Midnight." She announced with a wink and cocked her head. "I'm here to answer your prayer."

"How did you know about that?" I almost jumped out of my chair.

Midnight sighed. "I am within you, like Dark and Krad are to Daisuke and Satoshi." She explained.

"Wait a second," I leaned forward. "How do you know about them, and what do you mean, 'I am within you'?"

"I've been within you for a long time. I am Dark's twin sister. Krad has one also, but…" her voice trailed off and I could tell she was nervous.

"Dark's…twin…sister?" I asked yet another dumb question. "But how?"

What she said next almost made me faint.

"Daiki had a sister who had me within her, but she hated the Niwa bloodline. So she deserted the family and got married to your grandfather, changing her last name. she had your mother and never told her about me, so you never knew…until now." She explained.

"So…I'm a descendant of the Niwa clan? A distant cousin?" I felt lightheaded.

"Yep, and I'm here to answer your prayer," she winked again. "I'll lend you my powers to help him, but no one, not even Dark, needs to know. Keep me a secret and when the time is right, you'll transform into me and Dark will know. That night will be the theft on Saturday. The theft of the Amulet of the Heart."

"Okay…" I stood up and sighed. "Please help me. I'm desperate. Dark got hurt all because of me. I was reckless." I began to sob quietly and put my head down. "It's all my fault…"

"It's not, Ally," Midnight stood and put her arm around me. "He did what he did because he wants to protect you. He loves you."

Those words again. I looked up at her and smiled weakly. "I know." I wiped away the tears, looked at 'my other half' and straightened. "I'm in. I'll do anything to protect Dark."

Midnight held out her hand. "Shall we?"

"We shall." I took her hand in mine and a bright flash of light almost blinded me.

"Tamer Ally," she announced into the light. "You are now part of me and I am now part of you!"

Feathers took her place and flew towards me. They entered my chest and it began to feel hot.

Midnight was now a part of me.


	11. Chapter 11

I gasped and sat up, clutching my shirt. It was morning at the Niwa's house and the sun shone in the windows. The smell of pancakes and bacon filled the air, making my mouth water. My chest felt strangely warm, meaning the dream with Midnight was real.

Midnight was real.

Looking around, I noticed the television on. The news was playing and the weather lady was predicting more snow. Emiko and Daiki sat on the opposite end of my portion of the couch while Kosuke and Towa prepared breakfast. My eyes then trailed over and locked on Dark. He was sitting up, shirtless of all things, and looked much better. That's always a good sign.

"Oh!" Emiko's voice snapped me out of my trance. "Good morning, Ally. How did you sleep?"

"Very well, thank you," I replied. Then looked at Dark again, who was looking at me with his deep, dreamy amethyst eyes. "How are you feeling, Dark?"

"Much better," he smiled. I was glad he was okay. He shoved a thumb over in Daiki and Emiko's direction. "Daiki even told me I should be ready for two days' worth of training by noon."

"Mrs. Emiko!" Towa's voice rang through the living room. "Please come help! I think the pancakes are burning!"

"Oh my!" Emiko stood and walked over to the kitchen quickly. "Not again."

I chuckled. The news then switched to a screen with a lady in a dress. "Today schools within the Azumano district will be closed due to snow. There is at least a foot of freshly fallen snow in the area of the middle school." I looked outside and sure enough, there was more snow on the ground.

"Allyson," Daiki addressed me using my full first name. I hadn't heard it for a while.

"Yeah?" I looked over to him.

"Do you feel anything like you did yesterday during the ritual?" he took a sip of his tea. "Anything new about the small power source?"

I froze. Dark was staring at me with a 'what-is-he-talking-about?' look. Nervous as ever, I remembered Midnight's warning: to not tell anyone about her before Saturday night.

"To tell the truth, I do not even feel it anymore." I lied. My chest was warm, meaning Midnight was there.

"That's good," he sighed, then took another sip of his tea.

Dark was still looking at me the same way. I gave him a 'don't-worry-about-it-I'm-fine' look. He shrugged, then looked at the news.

"Here's your breakfast, Ally," Towa sang, walking over in my direction. She held a tray carrying several plates of pancakes, bacon, and a few glasses of juice.

"Thank you." I smiled as she handed me a plate and set a cup of apple juice-my favorite juice in the world-on the table next to my pillow. She walked over to Daiki and did the same. Also to Dark.

As I took my first bite of pancakes, I looked around. No one was paying attention to me. Good. I swallowed, then, in a whisper so low no one could hear me, I whispered, "Midnight, you there?"

'You can just think of what you want to say to me and I can hear it fine,' Midnight's voice rang through my head.

'Okay,' I thought to her. 'I have one question.'

'Yes?' she replied.

'How do I even transform into you?' I asked.

'That's easy!' she chuckled. 'Fall in love.'

'Huh?'

'Okay,' she sighed. 'Just…imagine it like a meter. When you fall in love, the meter will fill up and when it gets full or overflows…BAM!' she yelled the word so loudly it made me jump slightly, but no one seemed to notice. 'You have transformed into me.'

'How long does it take for the transformation to complete?' I thought to her.

'About…' Midnight paused, thinking for a bit. 'I'd say…five to ten seconds.'

'FIVE TO TEN SECONDS?!' I about screamed aloud.

'Yep,' I felt her smirk. 'Better run fast if you want me to be a secret.'

I was nervous. If I'm about to transform into Midnight, I needed to run fast.

'It only happens when you think of the one you love a lot.' She added. 'In this case, it's a fallen angel.'

'And that's Dark…' I replied. I noticed my pancakes were gone, so I picked up a piece of bacon and bit into it, hearing it crunch.

'Yep!' Midnight cheered. 'But you haven't changed yet since you aren't focusing a lot about him right now. When he saves you or is shirtless, like now, you most likely will transform, but you need to control your emotions.'

'How?' I took another bite of bacon and a sip of juice.

'Try to pressure yourself into not changing into me.' She replied. 'I'm tired now, so leave me alone for a bit.' Then she was gone.

"Ally?" Kosuke's voice asked worryingly.

"What?" I asked as normal as possible.

"You okay? You looked spacey."

"I'm fine," I replied. "I was just thinking."

"Okay." He sat next to Emiko and took a bite of his food.

My eyes scrolled over to Dark. He was looking over in the direction of the kitchen, where Towa was now. His back was to me, so I could see the scar as clear as day. It made me almost cry, but something else came over me first. Something like…Midnight.

"Where's your bathroom?" I asked, standing up and setting my plate on the table. The feeling was getting stronger.

"Down the hall, first door to the right." Emiko replied.

Dark was now looking at me, confused. I shuffled quickly over to the door leading to the hall. My hand felt shaky as I opened the door and, once I was on the other side of it, I shut it. Now I ran to the bathroom and, just as I opened the door to enter, it happened.

I transformed into Midnight for the first time.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

(Note: This is Midnight's point of view, not mine.)

My eyes slowly opened and I looked around. I was standing in the bathroom at the Niwa's house. It was a medium sized room. But with me there. Super. Just when I thought Ally and I had a good plan, we were about to blow it. She obviously fell in love with my older brother Dark fast and, like Daisuke, she transformed.

I looked in the mirror. My clothes were the ones Ally wore yesterday when she came over here and spent the night. Running a hand through my silky purple hair, I sighed.

"It's good to get out every now and then," I told myself (and Ally). "But not at a time like this." I thought for a second. "Ally, you there?"

'Yeah,' I heard her voice in my head.

"I was wondering…" I tried to control my temper. "How and why did you transform? Obviously you fell in love with Dark, but why now?"

'I don't know,' she replied. 'I just looked at him and I saw the scar on his back from the wound. I felt like crying, but my body felt weird like you were coming out.'

I sighed and sat on the toilet, the cover down of course. "Well, I don't know exactly how I'm supposed to transform back to you, but," I smirked. "While I'm here, might as well have some fun."

'Don't do anything too bad, Midnight!' Ally yelled.

"Yeah, yeah," I waved my hand at an imaginary fly. Then put my hand to my chin. "But…what to do, what to do…" I snapped after a few minutes. "What time does Dark have to train?"

'Noon, why?' Ally asked.

"Just wondering." I looked at Ally's watch on my wrist. "It's 11 o'clock now. You woke up at about…10:30, right?"

'Yeah…' she replied. 'Why are you asking all these questions?'

"No reason," I lied. "Dark should be getting ready for training now. He usually gets ready an hour before and it usually takes an hour for Emiko to set up, so…" I stood and walked over to the laundry basket on the opposite wall and began to rummage through it.

'Midnight, what are you planning?' Ally asked.

"You'll see."

After a few seconds of rummaging, I found and took out a pair of Dark's black pants, one of his shirts, and one of his hoodies. They were baggy on me, so I could hide my feminine figure. I put on the shirt first and that alone hid my torso. Now it was on to the next article of clothing.

The pants were next to go on. They were a bit big on me, but there was one of Dark's belts nearby and that held them up. Then I put on the hoodie and I did not even bother to pull out my ponytail so it would stay hidden. I put the hood up and I looked like Dark.

'MIDNIGHT!' Ally screamed. 'What are you doing looking like Dark?!'

"You'll see," I replied.

A bang at the door made me jump. "Ally? You alright in there?" Dark's voice asked on the other side of the door.

"Perfect timing," I said to myself. I grabbed a towel nearby and put my hand on the handle. Flinging the door open, I threw the towel over Dark's head before he could see me.

"What the-?!" he tried to take the towel off but I was too quick for him. I grabbed his arms and threw him into the room. Closing the door, I used a sealer magic to keep him there and some magic to make him unconscious for an hour so I can go through with the plan.

'MIDNIGHT!' Ally now yelled loud at me. 'Why did you do-?!'

"It gets better." I replied before she could finish. I walked over to the living room door and stepped in. Daiki was on the couch still watching television and drinking his tea. Thinking he didn't notice me, I walked as silent as a thief (*laughs* just had to put that in there).

"Hey, Dark," he said. "You should head downstairs right now. Emiko is expecting you."

"Okay," I lowered my voice a whole octave to match Dark's voice. "I just forgot something in Daisuke's room. I'll be down there in a minute." I continued my way to the stairs.

Once in Daisuke's room, I laughed. "How do you think that went, Ally?" I asked in my regular voice.

'MIDNIGHT!' she screamed again. Man, she was losing it. Soon her voice will go too. 'Why did you do that to Dark?!'

"I just wanna have some fun. I've been gone for over 70 years." I said honestly. "Just let me finish."

'NO WAY!' but I didn't listen to Ally. I grabbed a fake Amulet of the Heart Daisuke told Ally about yesterday at school. They went on and on and on about Dark's training for what seemed like hours. Then, stuffing the necklace into the pocket of Dark's hoodie, I went downstairs.

"I'm going downstairs now." I used Dark's voice again to talk to Daiki.

"I'm coming too," he turned off the television and stood up. Then he walked over to me. "Let's go." He walked ahead to the door to the hallway.

We walked down the hall until we reached a black door that lead to the basement. Daiki opened the door.

"Let's go, Dark," he said.

"Sure," I said in Dark's voice sarcastically. "What's more fun to do than train for a stupid theft Saturday?" I followed him down the spiral steps and to the fire pit. "I want to do something fun. Like going outside to enjoy the snow."

"You feeling okay, Dark?" Daiki asked.

"Oh yeah," I crossed my arms. "Right now, I'm training when I could be kissing girls, like Ally." My head suddenly felt warm. Ally must be blushing.

"Dark!" Kosuke snapped at me. "You need to take this seriously! Do you want to get hurt on Saturday?"

It was silent for a bit. Only the crackling of the fire echoed through the room.

"Fine." I broke the silence. "Let's get this boring training over with so I can go hit on girls. Besides, why should I care about some stupid training?"

"Dark!" Emiko was the next to snap at me. "If you don't take this seriously, you can get seriously hurt!"

"So what?" I sighed. "I've been in many fights with Krad and got seriously hurt, but I'm still here! So I'll be fine!" I began to walk upstairs. "Just look what happened yesterday."

"Dark," Towa's voice stopped me. I looked at her.

"What do you want, Miss Birdie?"

Her face got red with anger. "You barely survived from yesterday, but this theft is more dangerous than you can imagine. You can die."

"I won't die," I scoffed and left through the door even before the training could even begin.

"How'd you like that?" I asked Ally while going to the bathroom to put the clothes I was wearing on Dark to make it look like he did it.

Ally growled. 'I hated it. Why did you do that anyways?'

"For fun! I care about Dark, but I wanted to see Emiko get mad at Dark for blowing off training."

I took off the spell on the door and opened it to see Dark still passed out on the floor, towel over his head. Taking off the clothes that rightfully belonged to him, I put them on Dark and set him near the laundry basket. To make sure Emiko, Kosuke, Towa, and Daiki thought Dark went into the bathroom, I slammed the door.

'LET'S CHANGE BACK! NOW!' Ally yelled.

"Sure. I'm done, so…"

'How do you change back into me?' Ally asked as I sat on the couch in the spot where she slept.

"I'll change back whenever I think of…" I turned on the television and the first thing I saw was Satoshi on the news talking about previous thefts by Dark. "Satoshi…"

I felt my strength diminish as Ally took back control of her body and we transformed.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Dark opened his eyes and sat up. He rubbed his head and looked around. The last thing he remembered was someone put a towel over his head and threw him into the bathroom.

"Who was that?" he asked himself, then noticed the clothes on his body. "And when did I change clothes?"

As he stood up and began to brush himself off, the door flew open. Emiko stood red faced in the doorway.

"DARK!" she yelled. "How could you even think about blowing off your training?!"

"What are you talking about, Emiko?" Dark asked. "I would never blow it off! I know that this upcoming theft is dangerous!"

The woman lifted her hand and smacked the thief across his face. "How could you blow today's training off?!" Her face was red with anger.

"I didn't! I just came to see if Ally was okay, but someone put a towel over my head, threw me in here, and knocked me out! It wasn't Ally cause she isn't like that!" Dark argued.

"Likely story," Emiko lifted her hand again and balled it into a fist, but put it down. "It was you. I know it."

"No it wasn't! I swear on my life!" he retorted. The purple-headed boy stepped out of the bathroom and now both people were in the hallway. "I promise!"

Emiko stared at Dark's face for a moment. "You're telling me someone dressed exactly like you, made themselves sound exactly like you, and threw you into the bathroom Ally was in, just to pull a prank?" her voice sounded angry with a hint of confusion.

"Maybe it was that no-good sadistic Krad," Dark hissed lowly.

"Or maybe it was Ally, since she was nowhere to be found during this incident," the woman suggested.

"What?!" the thief almost jumped when he heard this. "I know Ally, and she would never ever do anything like this! She's shorter than me, even if she wore high heels!"

The hall was silent for a bit while both Dark and Emiko collected their thoughts. After a while, Emiko sighed and placed a hand on her forehead.

"I agree with you, Dark. Ally isn't the type of person to do such a thing. But we still need to figure out who it was. For now, I still think you did it and you're just lying to me."

Dark crossed his arms and gave a small grunt. He hated this so much.

"Come on, now," Emiko said in a motherly-like tone and began to walk towards the basement door. "Let's get your training done."

Dark, still crossing his arms, walked closely behind her. Once they arrived at the door, Emiko turned towards Dark, a small smile on her face.

"By the way, until we find out the truth about this whole situation," she began. "You're grounded."

Dark smirked. "No one can ground me. I have wings." He laughed and Emiko joined in.

"You may be able to fly," Emiko turned towards the door. "But you are still like a son to me."

Dark stood frozen for a bit as that word rang through his head. 'Son.' Emiko thought of him like her own son? The thief never knew someone thought of him like that. He felt…happy inside, knowing that Emiko thought of him like that.

Emiko opened the door and began down the steps as Dark followed a second later. He put Emiko's comment at the back of his mind for now while his training was underway, so he wouldn't be distracted.

Little did they know that the person who acted like Dark was actually…


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

'MIDNIGHT!' I thought loudly.

'What do you want now?!' she said back to me.

I was sitting in the living room, now arguing with Midnight. We had just heard through my ears the conversation (more like argument) between Dark and Emiko. Now I was furious with my other half.

'See what you've caused?!' I thought to her. 'You got Dark in trouble and now he has to work three times as hard now in training!'

'So?' Midnight sighed, obviously bored. 'He deserves it.'

'But why?'

'He's gotten a bit soft. Hitting on girls and all. Every near death encounter with Krad has gotten him beat up so bad. Just look at what happened yesterday.'

I froze, my eyes wide and looking away from the television. Dark saved me and almost died due to Krad's poisoned feather. My vision began to blur with tears and I wiped them away, looking at the screen of the television again.

'It's my fault,' I thought.

'No, it's not, Ally,' Midnight reassured me. 'He did it because he loves you. He told you yesterday at your house.'

I paused again. The image of Dark kissing me and telling me he loves me flashed in my mind. My eyes were blurry again, but I didn't bother to wipe them. Tears fell down my cheeks and I sniffled.

'I guess he does,' I thought. 'On Monday, when he kissed me, I thought he was kidding. But yesterday, when he was at my house and said he loves me, it sounded serious. There was one thing I wanted to say to him, but the Niwas interrupted.'

'What did you want to say to my brother?' the soul within me asked.

"That…I love him," I whispered to myself, to Midnight, as another tear fell down my cheek.

"Love who?" I was startled at the sound of Towa's voice. My head snapped up, teary eyes locked on her. When she saw me, her face changed from confused to worried. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing." I lied, wiping my eyes. I looked at her again. "Why are you up here? Shouldn't you be downstairs with Dark and the others?"

"Not really." She replied. "I go down there to help when I can, but I told Emiko I wanted to come up here with you to make sure you were okay." She walked over and sat next to me.

"I'm fine." Another lie.

"That's good." She smiled, looking at the screen. I mimicked her. The television showed a small square in the corner with a reporter and Satoshi while a larger picture of Dark's face filled in the rest of the space.

I felt myself blush when Dark's face was on the screen and felt weird. Like, transformation weird. Nervous as heck, I turned my face away from Towa's and shut my eyes. 'Don't think about Dark. Don't think about Dark.' I thought repeatedly in my mind.

"Ally?" Towa's hand snapped me out of my daze.

"Oh, sorry." I gave a nervous chuckle. "Just…uh…lost in a thought, I guess."

"Oh…okay!" she sounded cheerful. Towa stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "You want some tea?"

"Yes please. Thanks." I smiled. After a second, I gasped. "OH CRAP!" I jumped up off the couch and ran to the phone. "Can I please make a quick call?"

"Sure."

I dialed my mother's cell phone number and pressed it against my ear. After two rings, my mother answered.

"Hello?" her voice sounded a bit nervous.

"Hi, mom," I replied.

"Oh, Ally!" she said. "Thank goodness! Are you alright? I came home last night and you weren't there. Never came home last night. Is Dai alright?"

"I'm fine, mom." Man, she was a worrier. "Dai's alright, too. He was outside, shoveling some snow since his dad was helping his mom with dinner, when he slipped on some ice and was close to fracturing his arm. Bruised his tailbone as well. The maid told me everything" Towa shot me a glare and I stuck my tongue out the side of my mouth to tell her to shut up.

"Oh," my mother sighed. "Is he alright now?"

"Yes," I replied. "All he needed was to rest and a bit of ice. I may stay over for the day."

"Okay," my mom retorted. "Just…be back by nine. I have to stay a bit late today, so I'll be back by eight."

"Okay. Got it." I told her. "I love you. See you tonight."

"Love you too, hunny. Bye." Click.

I hung up the phone and sighed. Towa had put the water in the tea kettle and was on the opposite side of the counter now, just in front of the fridge.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"I told my mom I would be over here since Dai was hurt. She doesn't like Dark, him being a thief and all, and would kill me if she found out about me and Dark being friends."

"Alright." She sighed. "So, did you hear that someone disguised as Dark put him in the bathroom you were in and acted like him?"

I froze. It was Midnight who disguised as him. "What?" I lied.

"Emiko was saying it may have been you, but Dark argued, saying you weren't the type of person to do such a thing."

"Oh," I said, innocent as possible. "But why would someone do it?"

"A prank, maybe," she said just as the kettle began to whistle. While she got the tea, I sat down on the couch and felt a small pain on my shoulder and I clutched the scar Krad had given me. I recollected my thoughts and sat back.

'Nice going, Midnight,' I thought to her. 'Your little prank caused Emiko to accuse me of being Dark's imposter!'

'You're welcome.' She replied sarcastically.

"Here's your tea," Towa said to me.

"Thanks," I took a sip of it.

It was about three hours of me and Towa talking when Emiko, Kosuke, and Daiki came into the living room, followed by Dark. He looked tired. I blushed again, but suppressed the urge to transform.

"Hey," I smiled. "You're looking better."

"Thanks," Dark sat next to me. "I am." Then he leaned in closed to me. "So, about our date," he whispered. "Tonight at six?"

I blushed again. "Yeah. I called my mom and she said I needed to be back by nine anyway. So, where are we going to go?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "It's our first time out, besides the thefts," he thought for a moment. "How about dinner at McDonald's?"

"Uh, sure," I replied. I looked at my watch and it said four o'clock. "But I need to go home to change clothes. I'll go at about five."

"Okay." He sat back up and looked at the screen of the television.

I blushed and smiled. 'This is great!' I thought to myself. 'Dark and I are finally going out!'

'Oh, quit with your fantasies,' Midnight replied. 'You sound like a fan girl.'

'Oh, shut up!' I thought back to her, still smiling on the outside.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

As soon as I got home, I ran up to my room, smiling all the way. I was going on a date with Dark! My body was quivering with excitement as I put on a long sleeved light purple shirt and a pair of clean jeans. Once I was done with that, I grabbed my brush and put my hair into a ponytail with some hair lining my face like Dark's longest bangs.

I looked at my alarm clock as I put on my shoes. "Okay," I sighed. "It's five forty-five. Dark'll be here in fifteen minutes."

'Well, well,' Midnight's voice made me jump. 'Look who likes to be early.'

"Shut up, Midnight!" I said out loud. "I like to be early."

'Sure you are,' she sighed. 'Well, I have a weird feeling something's going to happen tonight.'

"Like my date with your brother?" I smirked as I looked in the mirror about to put on some make up.

'No,' she sounded serious. 'It may be after the date, so never let your guard down. Got it?'

"Yeah," I put on my lipstick just as the doorbell rang. I stood up and grabbed my purse. "Wow, he's early."

I ran downstairs and opened the door. Dark stood in the doorway, looking as handsome as ever. He wore a red and black stripped shirt with a black jacket over the shirt and jeans. His hair was regular, but just hid in a hat so no one can recognize him. Except me.

"So, you ready to go, Ally?" he asked in his calm voice I love so much.

"Yes," I couldn't help but blush as I closed the front door.

'Midnight?' I thought to her.

'Yeah?'

'I don't want to change tonight. So do not try to, okay?'

'Got it. I was going to rest up anyways.'

Dark and I began to walk towards the bridge. When we got there, he took my hand in his and lead me to the platform. My cheeks felt hot and I knew that if I were to blush anymore, I might change.

"Watch your step. There's black ice here, so you may slip and fall." Dark sounded caring about me and my well-being.

"Okay," I said as I took the first step.

Just as Dark had warned, there was ice. My foot slipped and I began to fall. Dark was quick though. He caught me and I looked up at him. Dark was standing straight up, but I wasn't touching the ground.

'Odd,' I thought and looked around me. It turns out, and the best part was, he was carrying me princess style! I thought I was going to faint and blushed so hard. Luckly, Midnight didn't take over then.

"Be careful, my princess," he said sweetly. I was blushing even more now! Inside my mind, I heard Midnight pretending to gag. She was Dark's younger twin, after all.

He put me down and my knees felt weak. Dark took my hand again and we walked silently across the bridge.

At about six, we were at the McDonald's nearest to my house. Dark stepped in front of me and opened the door for me and bowed. He was like a butler!

"Ladies first," he smiled.

"Why, thank you, good fellow," I pretended to have a skirt on and curtsied to him before entering.

Once we were both inside, he started for the counter, but I stopped him.

"No." I said. "If you order, there may be a chance someone would recognize you and we'd have to leave. I'll buy. What would you like?"

"I want a Big Mac with a coke to drink." He handed me a few dollars and went to sit down in the corner furthest from anyone else.

I ordered his food and got myself a Quarter Pounder with ketchup and mustard, as usual, with a Dr. Pepper. Once the order came out, I took the tray over to our table.

"Here we go," I set the tray down and sat in the booth opposite from Dark. I took my burger and took the top bun off. Then I took some fries and layered them in two rows on the burger. Placing the bun back on, I looked up and saw Dark staring at my burger, then at me.

"Is that any good?" he asked.

"Very," I replied. "You try it."

He took the bun off his Big Mac, took a handful of fries and just dumped them on.

"No," I said, reaching over. "You need to layer them like so." I put the first layer on when I noticed how close Dark's face was to mine. Immediately, I pulled back. "You can do the rest."

He did so and I took a bite of my burger. About ten minutes later, we were just snacking on the fries and talking. When I was taking a drink of my soda, Dark stood up and slid into the spot next to me.

"Dark?" I asked.

"Yeah?" he leaned his face closer to mine.

"What are you-" but before I could finish, he had his hand on my chin and he lifted my head so our eyes met.

"You know," he began in a soft voice. "Of all the girls I've dated, you're the most amazing girl I've ever dated."

He leaned in closer and pressed his lips on mine. Now he's kissed me three times in three days! In a row! But I didn't lean away. I just closed my eyes and pressed a bit on his. It seemed like we were like that for a long time.

He leaned away and I sat there, blushing, almost changing into Midnight.

"You know," he said as he stood up and picked the tray up with all our stuff on it. "I love you."

I nodded and he walked off to the garbage can. My eyes stared at the floor and Dark returned.

"Let's get going." He held out his hand. I took it and stood up.

We walked out and I was cursing myself in my mind. I was so close to telling him I loved him, but it slipped through my fingers like grains of sand on the beach.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"That was a great night!" I announced cheerfully to Dark.

Dark chuckled. "Well, then, I'm glad you enjoyed it," he smiled at me and I blushed.

We had just gotten done with our date and Dark was walking me home. I was still cursing myself in my head when I just couldn't take it no more.

I had to tell him I love him.

"Um…Dark?" I stopped walking.

"Yeah? What's up?" he stopped and turned to look at me.

"There's something I got to tell you."

"What is it?" he stood in front of me, confused.

"I-" but I was interrupted by a rush of wind caught me and Dark off guard.

"What in the world?!" Dark shouted.

In the alley neat to us, we could hear a faint chuckle and a figure began to become apparent. It had long hair in a ponytail and…wings? Who would have…?

"Krad," Dark broke my train of thought as Krad stepped into the street light. Dark's voice sounded alarmed and he looked as if he was about to attack the white clad man.

"No need to worry," Krad said. "I'm not here to fight."

I looked at Krad, then to Dark. My date looked at his other half for a moment, then stood up straight.

"What is it that you want?" Dark's voice sounded angry.

"I came to warn you."

'Ally,' Midnight's voice sounded in my head.

'What is it?' I thought to her.

'Listen to what he says. Take it seriously.'

'Okay,' I focused back to the scene.

"Warn us?" Dark now was confused.

"Yes. During this Saturday's theft, two new beings just like us will appear. Be aware. These two may be after the Amulet as well."

I froze. Midnight was showing up Saturday! But who's the other person? I'll find out soon.

"Like us? What does that mean?" Dark asked.

"All I know is the information I gave you. Now I must be off. I shall see you Saturday." Krad spread his wings and flew off in a hurry.

I was still wide eyed and frozen when Dark turned to me.

"What was that all about?" he asked, then saw me. "You alright, Ally?"

I looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah. I'm fine. Let's just get going so I get back before my mom gets back." I hurried towards the bridge, Dark following behind.

At the bridge, I was careful not to fall. My guard was down and didn't want to change to Midnight right now. Dark helped me on and off the bridge so I didn't slip.

When we got to my house, Dark looked at me. "You began to say something before Krad arrived. What was it?"

I looked at him, then looked down at my feet. "It was nothing much. Just that… I hope you feel better by the theft." I gave him my best fake smile, trying to hold back tears.

"Okay," he took my chin and kissed me gently for a second. "I'll see you later." He walked towards the Niwa house.

Opening the door, I bolted up to my room and jumped on my bed, screaming in my pillow. "Why am I such a coward?!" I yelled.

'Just tell him you love him next time, or I'll take over your body and do it for you,' Midnight chuckled.

"Shut up!" I said in the darkness. After a bit, my curiosity peaked. "So, was Krad talking about you?"

'Yeah,' she replied.

"So who's the other person?"

A pause quieted the room. 'My other half.'

"Your other half? Who is that?"

'No one really. Just someone like me. Only…worse.' She said.

"Worse?" I repeated. "How?"

'Never mind. Just get some sleep.'

"Okay." I changed into a pair of sweat pants and a shirt. I crawled into bed and closed my eyes. It was about nine, but I didn't care. I was tired and didn't want to think of the days ahead. Especially Saturday.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

So, here's my week in review.

First, I was finally awakened after a 70 year absence. My tamer is Ally, the one my twin brother Dark is in love with. Ally and I only transformed once and I played a prank on the Niwas. Krad warned Dark and Ally about me and my other half appearing on the theft coming up tonight.

Yep, it's Saturday finally. The Amulet of the Heart shall be stolen tonight by Dark. I'm appearing, so Ally and I have been preparing the perfect outfit for me to wear.

We decided on a pair of black skinny jeans Ally just happened to have in my size with a black shirt with loose sleeves and black boots. Tonight's going to be fun.

It's almost time for the theft to start, so I'm in control of our (me and Ally's) body and flying to the museum. Ally had to turn down Dark in coming to help him because she was busy. I can tell she's sad, but she knows why it had to be done.

"Ally," I asked out loud. No one can hear us, so it's safe. For now.

'Yeah?' I hear her reply.

"What's the plan for my appearance? Do I just fly into the search lights or wait for Dark to appear first?"

'I think just wait until Dark and Krad appear. Maybe just Dark. It's up to you I guess.'

"Thanks." I came near the museum and landed on a nearby roof, carefully camouflaging myself in the dark, waiting for my brother. I looked at the clock tower. "It's 8:55 now. Dark should be here any second."

As soon as the bell chimed nine on the tower a bit later, Dark arrived. I couldn't tell what he was wearing, but I needed to act soon.

'Midnight,' Ally said. 'I think you should appear after Dark leaves the museum with the Amulet.'

I was getting anxious now. "No. Too long. Maybe when he goes inside."

'Okay,' Ally sighed. 'It's up to you anyway.'

Smirking, I kept an eye on my brother. Once he disappeared, I spread my wings and took off into the searchlights. I never felt this alive in over 70 years!

I easily spotted the opening Dark went through to get in. Since I was like Dark, I was slender like him. So, tucking in my wings, I dive bombed right into the opening.

The museum was large, so finding the Amulet was moderately tough to find. At least for a normal thief anyway. Dark and I weren't normal thieves.

With ease, I sprinted down the halls and found guards knocked out at every other corner and all cameras broken. Easy to follow Dark with all this to hint me on the way there. I rounded a corner and saw two large doors slightly open. Surely Dark was in there. So I walked carefully there.

I opened the door a bit more to see what was happening inside. Dark was there, but so was Krad. Krad had Dark's arms behind him and on the ground. The Amulet was still in the case. That meant one thing.

Satoshi was only there when Dark arrived and changed into Krad to capture him. Dark looked so defenseless, so I needed to do something.

"Hey!" I slammed the door open wide. Both Dark and Krad's eyes fell on me, confusion written on your faces. "Let Dark go, Krad!"

"Who are you?" Krad hissed.

'I have a bad feeling, Midnight,' Ally said to me. 'Get out of there fast!'

"My name's Midnight." I stated. Dark's eyes went wide. I knew he had a vague idea of who I was. When he opened his mouth to speak, Krad kicked him in his side.

Overcome with anger, I flew over to the white angel and landed a kick right in his stomach. He crouched over in pain and I whirled around to Dark.

"Dark!" I yelled. "Get the Amulet of the Heart and get out of here! Now!"

He nodded and went to the case, easily opening it, and carefully picking up the Amulet and placed it in a bag that suppressed its power. Dark then ran out of the room.

Krad pounced towards me and I turned around too late. He grabbed my shoulders and we landed on the ground.

"I don't know who in the world you are and why you're helping Dark. You may be related, but I don't care," he hissed coldly at me. "I need to eliminate all who stand in the way of my sole purpose in life."

I knew what he was talking about, but I decided to use the innocent act. "What would that me?"

"Eliminating Dark Mousy."

I smirked. "Well, looks like that day isn't today!" I kicked his stomach and lifted him up. He crashed through the window, the glass shattering into millions of pieces. Grabbing the biggest one I could find, I hopped through the window, landing in front of the museum.

In front of everyone.

In front of Dark. Who had just landed in the scene occurring.

What was next to come surprised us all.

(NOTE: Midnight POV again)


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

(Note: This is Brianna's point of view.)

I sat in the living room of my house watching television. My parents were both working late tonight so I had some time to relax. All my homework was done and Ally was too busy to hang out to watch the broadcast of Dark's theft. So I'm just watching it on the news by myself.

On screen, Dark had just appeared and flew into the museum. After that, something else came on the screen: another figure like Dark, but different. I didn't know if it was Krad or not, but it looked more feminine than masculine. That figure went into the museum as well.

About five minutes later, Dark had flown out of the museum. Most likely he got the Amulet. About a minute later Krad came crashing through the window from the room that had housed the Amulet. He landed on the ground surrounded by glass shards. Someone crawled through the window with a shard in hand.

A close up revealed a female that looked like Dark. Her clothes looked familiar, like they were Ally's, but this person was completely new. Not just to me, but to everyone. Dark landed near the scene a bit later, but my attention was to the woman.

"Who is that?" I asked myself out loud.

'Midnight…' a feminine voice spooked me.

"Who's there?" I called.

The voice repeated 'Midnight,' but it was louder now.

"Hello?" I was beginning to get frightened.

'I shall get you, Midnight!' suddenly my chest became overwhelmed with heat and pain. I screamed as something began to gain control of me.

"What…is…this…?" I asked, tears flowing from my eyes.

I winced as something began to grow from my back. It became stronger and I screamed louder as something came out of my back. Looking back, my eyes widened.

"White…wings?" I said.

'Yes,' the voice was back. My hair grew longer and my clothes changed.

Suddenly, I didn't feel like myself. I grew taller and began to be encased in darkness.

"What…is this?" I whispered painfully.

'Your new life,' the female voice answered. 'Brianna.'

I was now someone different. My body wouldn't register to my movements. It was like someone else was controlling it.

I had no idea who that was.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

I walked over to Krad. The cameras were on the scene, but I didn't care that much. Dark walked towards me with a quick pace.

"Midnight, right?" he asked me.

"Yes," I replied. "What is it?"

It was silent for a while. Krad began to get up on his feet, but Dark's attention was to me. He was dazed, staring in my eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked. "You look familiar."

My mind was racing now. Had he known I was also Ally? Did he sense her presence? I tried to figure out a good lie for him. One he'll believe.

"I am…" I stumbled for words. "I am…just like you."

'Nice save,' Ally's voice almost scared me.

Krad was now near us. I felt him behind me. His arm rose above his head as to hit me upside the head.

"Behind-!" Dark began to say, but I was way ahead of him.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him over me, causing him to crash into the ground. He landed in the glass, so I knew some had to cut him.

Before anything else happened, a rush of wind almost knocked me and Dark off our feet.

"What was that?" Dark asked, anger in his voice.

I looked up and almost fainted. "No… it can't be…"

It was her, alright. The long blonde hair like Krad's was unmistakable. Her outfit pure white and wings like snow. A cross at the bottom of her hair just screamed who she was.

"I'm back, Midnight." She said in a sickingly sweet voice like Krad's.

"Who is that?" Dark asked me.

"Akari…" I whispered. "I thought she was gone for good."

Akari, my other half, pulled out a sword as Krad began to stand up. Just like I predicted, his back was cut a bit from the glass. I stretched my wings, preparing to take off.

'Ally,' I thought to her. 'Better hang on tight. It may get bumpy.'

'Huh?' she said. 'Okay.'

I jumped up past my other half and into the air. Akari was right behind me.

"No one can stop me!" she yelled. "Not even you!"

I braced myself for what was to come. Akari striked my side with her sword and I felt myself begin to lose altitude. "Crap," I hissed.

'Midnight!' Ally screamed in my head. 'You okay?'

"I'm fine." I lied as Akari brought the sword to my shoulder. I hissed sharply as the pain brought me to loose altitude again.

"Say goodbye, Midnight," Akari raised the sword again and brought it to my forearm. I let out a high-pitched scream. Enough was enough.

I plucked one of my feathers out of my wings and held it in front of me. It changed magically into a sword like Akari and Krad's, only as dark as midnight itself (had to).

"Never!" I yelled as my sword became surrounded by the orange glow of fire. I swung it down and released a tornado of flames towards Akari's body. She was too show to avoid them. The flames consumed her and she let out a high-pitched scream.

"MIDNIGHT!" she yelled as the flames began to die down. Once the flames were gone, Akari was burnt and exhausted by her breath.

"I'm not giving up!" she came at me again with her sword, but stopped and grabbed her head. "No you don't. Don't try to take over now!" that confused me. But I needed to get away now.

"We'll meet again, Akari," I said as I flew off.

"We shall, Midnight," she replied.

I was nearing Ally's house just as I began to feel my power diminish from my body. "I don't think I have enough power to make it home."

'You can!' Ally assured me. 'It's a bit further.'

I landed in front of Ally's house and immediately lost balance.

'You lost a lot of blood,' Ally said. 'I got hurt too, so let's get inside so I can bandage our body.'

I nodded lightheaded. Opening the door, I walked to the living room, stopping to grab the first-aid kit. Once I sat down on the couch, my power disappeared and Ally took over.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The next morning I woke up with a sore pain in my arm, shoulder, and side. Akari had struck Midnight three times with her sword, so I got hurt as well. My shoulder hurt the worst since it was the same one Krad had hit the Monday before. I looked at the bandages on it and they were slightly red. So were the ones on my side and the ones on my arm near my elbow.

The sound of my phone chirping made me jump slightly. I picked it up and looked at the screen. It was a text message. Excited, I read it out loud to myself.

"Ally," it began. "At 11:30, we are going to perform the separation ritual using the Amulet Dark stole. Do you want to come watch? Dai."

I began to type my reply. One done, I read it to myself. "Of course I want to watch! I'll be there at 11." After I pressed the send button, I looked at my digital clock. "It's ten right now. I got to get ready if I want to be there on time."

'You must be excited,' Midnight's voice echoed through my mind. It didn't make me jump. I'd gotten used to it.

"Yep," I got out of bed and picked out some clothes. "So how are you doing?"

'I'm doing alright. The wounds still hurt. You?' was her reply.

"I've been better." I chose a long sleeved blue shirt to hide my wounds with jeans. I would just wear my sneakers and ponytail my hair. Before that, I changed my bandages.

Once I was done dressing, it was only 10:15. I did my hair and went downstairs. When I got to the kitchen, I looked around the corner. "Morning, mom!"

"Good morning, Ally," she sang. She had a plate with eggs and a piece of toast for me. "You slept in late."

"I had a long night." I said. I sat at the table and began to eat the eggs.

"I noticed you had hurt your arm," my mother sat down across from me. "What happened? Are you okay?"

I almost choked on the current mouthful of eggs I had. Swallowing, I replied. "I'm fine. I just slipped and fell on the icy sidewalk outside."

"Where were you anyway?" she asked.

"I went to the theft last night." I said as I took another bite of eggs.

"Why did you go?" she demanded softly.

"I wanted to watch." Lie.

"Oh." She said. "Why didn't you watch it on television?"

"I didn't want to. I wanted to see it live."

"Well, glad only your arm got hurt." She finished her coffee and stood to get more.

I ate my eggs and toast and washed it down with some apple juice. When I stood up, my side hurt and I winced, causing me to stop. My mom sat this and had a worried look on her face.

"You okay, Ally?" she asked.

"I'm fine. My side just hurts. Probably from all that walking home," I lied.

"Okay," she said, confused.

It was 10:30. "Oh, I'm going over to Daisuke's house. I'll be back by dinner."

"You've been going over there a lot recently."

"Yeah," I said, putting on my sneakers and coat while popping in a piece of mint gum.

"Have fun," she said as she turned on the television. The news was on and it was currently showing a video of last night. It was just when Akari showed up.

I walked out into the cold and began walking to the Niwa house.

'So,' I thought to Midnight. 'Isn't the Amulet supposed to separate someone like Daisuke and Dark, Satoshi and Krad, and you and me?'

'Yeah, why?' Midnight asked.

'We could get caught!' I was frantic now. 'We could get separated and everyone would see us and-!'

'Shut up,' Midnight laughed. 'That's what you're worried about?'

'What?' I thought to her as we neared the bridge. I was careful not to slip on the steps.

'It only separates the target. The one it's being used on. Nothing will happen to us.'

I sighed. 'Thank goodness. What form do they need to be in during the ritual?'

'Most likely Dark's. It could be Daisuke, but it would take longer to finish since he doesn't have as much power as Dark.'

I got off the bridge and walked the rest of the way to the Niwa's. Since I walked slowly, I was there at exactly 11. With a cold hand, I knocked on the door. About a minute later, Emiko answered with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Ally," she greeted me. "Come on in."

"Thanks," I stepped in and took off my shoes and jacket.

Everyone was in the living room, waiting. Towa, Daiki, and Kosuke sat on the couch and greeted me with warm smiles. Dark was sitting on the other couch with an empty spot next to him. Once he saw me, he smiled and patted the spot. I sat next to him and he hugged me.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he said.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Last night's theft was kind of crazy."

"What do you mean?" I asked as innocently as possible.

He picked up the remote and unpaused the television. It was a recording of last night's news. The same scene was playing as the one when I left my house.

"Two new characters arrived, just like Krad had warned," Kosuke said.

I gave my best impression of the I-don't-quite-comprehend look.

"This one," Dark paused the screen at a close-up of Midnight. "Said her name was Midnight and that she was just like me." He played the footage and paused again at a close-up of Akari. "Midnight said this was Akari." He let it play and it showed the scene where Akari attacked Midnight.

"Wait a second," Towa looked at me, then to the screen. I looked too and it was the part where Akari slashed Midnight's arm. Towa looked back at me. "Why is there blood on your shirt in the same spot as the one on screen?"

I looked at my arm. Sure enough, the bandages didn't hold long. Frantic now, I tried to come up with an excuse. "I fell on the sidewalk outside my house. Skinned it up pretty bad. I had to bandage it up after I got inside my house."

"What were you doing outside?" Daiki asked.

Everyone's eyes were on me now. "I was…uh…walking back from the grocery store when I fell."

"Okay," Emiko clapped her hands. "Enough chit-chat. I'll rebandage that arm for you, Ally. Everyone else, it's time for the ritual."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

I winced as Emiko unwrapped the bandage on my arm. The blood had stuck itself to the wound and, apparently, hurts when pulled off.

We were in the living room still. The separation ritual was to be performed there, so Emiko just went to get new bandages. Dark was next to me, helping in any way he could. Everyone else prepared for the ritual.

"This looks a bit more like you cut yourself with a knife," Emiko stated when my wound was revealed. She looked at me. "What happened to it?"

I thought for a bit, then answered her question. "When I fell, a small piece of ice standing up got itself wedged slightly in my arm. The ice shard was about this big," I illustrated with my free hand.

"Then why is the wound bigger than the ice shard?" Dark asked.

"When I pulled it out, it cut me a bit more." I added to my lie.

"Oh," Emiko said. "It looks bad. Dark, please go get a wet washcloth, one we use for cleaning wounds, and bring it here. Also a dry one and the hydrogen peroxide and a bowl."

Dark nodded and went to the kitchen. I looked at the woman next to me. "What's hydrogen peroxide?"

"It's a liquid that, when poured on wounds, it foams. The foam is the bad particles still in the wound and it can be wiped away." She explained.

"Cool," I replied as Dark returned with the items. Emiko took the wet rag and wiped off the excess blood on my arm. It stung, but I relaxed and let her work.

Next, she opened the bottle of hydrogen peroxide and placed the bowl in the space between us. "Hold your arm over the bowl." She instructed. I did and she poured the liquid on my wound. It stung a bit and, after she was done pouring, she straightened up. "Let's wait until it foams now."

After a bit, it began to foam and Emiko wiped it away. She cleaned it up and bandaged my arm again.

"There we go," she finished as she stood up and helped in the preparation for the ritual.

"So," Dark's low voice spooked me. "What's the real reason your arm got hurt?"

'That was quick,' Midnight chuckled. 'It usually takes him a while to figure stuff like that out.'

"Shut up," I whispered to her.

"What?" Dark asked.

"Nothing," I frantically replied. "I wasn't lying. I really fell on ice and cut my arm."

"May I see the ice then?" he asked more firmly now.

"I put it down the sink in my kitchen and it's probably melted by now."

"Oh," he replied. "Okay."

"Dark," Daiki broke into our conversation. "It's time. Are you and Daisuke ready?"

"We are," the thief stood and went to the middle of the living room. Kosuke and Towa sat down on the opposite side of the l-shaped couch.

Emiko held the Amulet of the Heart and began to chant a spell. Daiki joined in and the Amulet began to glow and float above a glowing Dark.

'Here's the best part,' Midnight said.

The light shone brighter and I couldn't see a thing. When the light dispersed, I was surprised at the sight in front of my eyes.

Dark and Daisuke stood there. Both of them had their own bodies. The ritual had worked.

"Now it'll take three weeks for the Amulet's power to come back. We can separate Satoshi and Krad then," Daiki looked at Dark and Daisuke. "How do you feel?"

Dark stretched his arms. "It's feels great to finally have a body of my own."

"Agreed. No more thieving for me." Daisuke retorted.

"How does your arm feel?" Towa asked me.

"Okay. It stings a bit though," I replied.

"I'll make some lunch," Emiko went to the kitchen.

"We'll be outside," Dark replied, putting on his coat and shoes.

Daisuke and me both did the same thing. The three of us then left the warmth of the house and entered a realm of snow. It was their backyard, but it looked like a winter wonderland on looking the unfrozen sea.

When the cold air hit my body, I shivered and crossed my arms. "It's cold out here."

Dark slid the screen door shut behind us and walked up behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and put his chin on my head. I blushed hard, but I forced myself not to change into Midnight.

"You're so fragile, Ally," the thief told me.

"Hey!" Daisuke's voice echoed to us. "Stop hugging and get over here. We can build a snowman."

Dark let go of me and we walked over to the red-headed boy. Each of us began to roll a snowball for the snowman. I was in charge of the head, Daisuke got the torso, and Dark rolled the largest snowball. Surprisingly, we all finished at about the same time.

We put our snowman together and it was as tall as me. Daisuke ran inside and came back with a scarf, a hat, and some coal in his hands. When we finished our snowman, it looked kind of like me. Towa came outside and offered to take our picture next to it. I stood next to our snowman, Daisuke sat in front of it and Dark stood behind me.

"Oh, also," Towa said after the picture. "Emiko wanted to say lunch was ready. You three should come in."

We all nodded and walked in. Emiko had made chicken noodle soup for everyone with some milk to drink. Dark, Daisuke and I ate ours fast so we could go back outside to make two more snowmen to look like Dark and Daisuke.

This was going to be the most fun we would have for the rest of this week.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"I'll see you later, mom!" I called as I walked out the front door to my house. I went to the bridge and walked over to Daisuke's house.

"So, Midnight," I asked aloud. "Will anything else happen for the next few weeks? I mean, Krad or Akari making any 'special' appearances?"

It was silent for a bit, then Midnight answered.

'Not that I can see.'

"How can you tell all of this stuff?"

'I can see into the future at will. Sometimes it's a few minutes in the future. Sometimes it's up to a few months. Although, the future can change unexpectedly.'

"Okay," I walked off the bridge and up to the Niwa's house, where Daisuke was waiting outside for me. "Hey," I said.

"Hey, Ally," he retorted as he walked by me. "How was your evening yesterday?"

"Good. I had a lot homework to do," I told him, sweeping my hair out of my eyes. Today I had gone with a top ponytail with a strand hanging down on the side of my face. "I was kind of rushing to get it done."

"Wait," the redhead looked at me. "If you were too busy Saturday and couldn't go to the theft, then why didn't you do your homework then?"

I looked at him with a bored face, then pointed to my arm wound. He looked at me with a face of confusion.

"I had my arm cut, remember?"

"Oh!" he said. "Now I remember!"

We talked about other things as we walked to the station. As we boarded the car, I looked at Daisuke and sat down. The car jerked forward and I sat down.

"So what's Dark going to do now when he's not thieving or while we're at school?"

"I don't know," he said as we pulled into the next station and everyone boarded.

We both greeted everyone and I couldn't help but notice Brianna. She looked spacey and depressed. The car jerked once more then moved, but my eyes were always on Brianna. What's wrong with her?

The car pulled into the last stop and we all got off. As we walked to school, I kept a close eye on Brianna. Even at school, I kept glancing over to her.

At lunch, I couldn't take it anymore. We sat down on our bench and I turned to her.

"What's up with you?" I asked her.

"What do you mean?" she asked me back, still a bit spacey.

"You've been spacey and looking depressed all day!" I noticed my voice rose, then I took a few deep breaths to calm me down.

"Oh, that's nothing," she said. "It's just…something happened to me Saturday night that's made me act like this." She took a bite of her lunch.

"What happened?" I asked, now interested in what happened.

"Nothing much," she replied.

"You're lying," I said in a singsong voice.

She sighed. "It's not very interesting," she then paused for a bit, a pained look on her face.

"Brianna?" I asked, waving a hand on front of her face. She didn't budge and I leaned back, taking a bite out of my lunch.

She then looked back to me. "Sorry," she told me in an apologetic voice. "I'm just thinking about a few things." She finished her lunch, then stood up. "I have to go to the library now. I'll see you later." With that, she walked off.

I tilted my head to the side. Where was she off to in a hurry? The bell rang and I jumped a bit. I wrapped up my leftovers and walked back to class.

After school, I saw Brianna walking alone to the station. I couldn't help but run up to her.

"Hey!" I called. "Brianna!"

She turned around and stopped walking. I ran up to her and caught my breath quickly.

"What's up?" she asked.

"'What's up?'" I repeated. "You've been spacing out all day! I want to know what is wrong with you."

"Nothing's wrong," she began to walk to the station and I walked next to her.

We boarded the car and waited for it to leave. Everyone else boarded, but I wanted to know what was up with my friend.

"Brianna," I began. "You should come over to my house tonight. We can talk there."

"No," she stated. "I have to do a lot of things."

I grabbed her shoulder. "Hey. You're my best friend. Best friends tell each other everything."

The car jerked forward and began to roll.

"Alright," Brianna said. "I'll come over. But only for a while." I smiled at her.

"Bye!" Riku and Risa announced as they left the car. "See you later!"

I didn't notice the car stop until they left. Satoshi left as well, but didn't say anything. The car then jerked forward and began down the hill again.

At the final stop, we got out. Daisuke was right behind me and Brianna. I turned around and looked at the red headed boy.

"You want to come over to my house?" I asked.

"Sure," he said. "I'll be glad to."

We passed his house and I saw Dark outside. He looked at me and smiled.

"How was school?" he called, walking over to us.

"Good," Brianna said. "We're headed over to Ally's house."

"Cool," the thief looked at me. "Mind if I tag along?"

I blushed hard. He was asking me if he could come over! How awesome!

'Fangirl!' Midnight's voice echoed through my head in a singsong.

'Shut it!' I thought to her.

"Sure!" I replied to Dark. He smiled and walked next to me. We walked to the bridge and over to my house. I opened the door and everyone came inside, taking off their shoes, coats, and bags at the door.

"Please make yourselves at home," I said. Everyone sat in the living room and I sat in between Dark and Brianna. "So, what's up, Brianna?"

Everyone now looked at her. She stayed silent. Probably because of all the attention.

"N-nothing much," she said. "I just have a lot on my mind right now. That's all."

I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it when the phone rang. "Excuse me," I stood and went to the phone. "Hello?"

"Ally?" my mother's voice answered. "I'll be at work late again, so you're on your own for a bit."

"Alright," I replied. "I've invited Brianna and Daisuke over to hang out for a bit. They'll keep me company while they're here."

"Good," my mother's voice replied. "I love you."

"I love you," I told her. "Bye."

"Bye," she hung up the phone. I put the phone back on the receiver and went back to the living room.

"Who was that?" Daisuke asked.

"My mom," I replied, sitting down in my spot.

"Okay," Dark stretched out, crossing his legs and putting his arms behind his head. "So, there're two new people out there like me and Krad. What to do now?"

Brianna froze and I noticed. "Are you alright, Brianna?"

"Yeah," she sounded nervous.

"I'll get you a glass of water," I told her. Before she said a word, I was already in the kitchen. I returned with the water and gave it to my friend. She took a sip as I sat back down.

"Who are the new people?" Brianna asked.

"Well, Ally and Dai already know," Dark said. "Both are female. The one like me is named Midnight and the one like Krad is called Akari. Somehow I know Midnight from somewhere…" his voice trailed off.

'I'm his sister! That's where he knows me from!' Midnight yelled in my head.

'I told you quiet!' I thought back.

"So," Daisuke broke my thoughts. "What to do?"

"Well," I said. "I watched the news that night while doing homework. It seemed a bit like Akari is a bit more aggressive than Krad. Midnight seemed strong and beat Akari quickly."

"But did you hear what she said?" Dark interrupted. "She said 'No you don't. Don't try to take over now!'"

I remembered her saying that. But to who was the question.

"Really?" I asked innocently. "Who was she talking to?"

"I don't know," Dark straightened up. "But we need to find out."

Brianna suddenly stood up, making me jump. "It's that late already?!" she said. I looked at the clock. It was only three. "I need to go." Before anyone said anything, she was out the door.

"What was that about?" Daisuke asked.

"I don't know," Dark sat back again. His hand was near me and I blushed. I felt midnight taking over a bit and I turned away from Dark.

'Not now,' I thought. 'Please not now!'

"Are…you alright?" Daisuke asked.

"Oh!" I snapped out of my daze. "I'm fine! Anyone want to watch the news with the theft? I recorded it. Maybe we can get more information."

"Sure," Daisuke sat next to me as I turned on the television and went to my recordings.

But I kept thinking about Brianna. What was up with her lately?


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Brianna was the same for the rest of the week: spacey, depressed, and she had this unusual presence when I was around her. I kept asking what was wrong, but she gave me the same answer as before. Midnight had suggested that maybe she had Akari dwelling within her because of her presence, but I told her it was impossible.

Was it?

The weekend went by fast and when I returned to school on the following Monday, I got a surprise: Brianna was absent. She never was absent!

"Where's Brianna?" asked Risa on the car the Tuesday after.

"I don't know," I replied almost sadly. "I texted her and she hasn't replied."

"That's unusual," Daisuke said, sitting next to me. "She always answers your texts, right?" I just nodded.

The car pulled into the second stop and the Harada twins and Satoshi left, leaving me and Daisuke alone.

I felt like crying. Brianna was gone and she hasn't replied to my texts. Daisuke noticed my face and put his hand on my shoulder.

"I bet she's alright," he told me. "She'll be fine."

I sniffed and looked up at him, a fake smile on my face. "You're right."

The car pulled into the final stop and we left. We just talked about school and other things as we walked to his house. When we arrived at his house, we parted ways and I walked alone to my house.

I opened the door to my home and walked in. My mother was working until six, so I was alone for a bit. Closing the door, I took off my shoes and went up to my room. I opened my room door and immediately buried my face in a pillow and screamed.

'What's wrong?' Midnight asked.

"Brianna's gone and I don't know where she is!" I felt tears on my cheeks.

'Send her another text,' the angel told me. 'She'll probably reply.'

"Okay," I pulled out my phone and typed out 'Hey, Brianna. Where have you been the past two days?' and pressed send.

I waited for hours, doing homework and more to pass the time. No answer. My mother arrived home from work and we ate dinner. No answer. I got myself ready for bed. Still no answer. I lay in bed, staring at my phone. She never replied.

The next day at school I kept looking in space, worried about Brianna. I barely ate a thing at lunch. I knew it was only three days since Brianna was gone, but I was still worried. What if something had happened to her?

On the car, I didn't even see the Harada twins leave. Satoshi had stayed on because he was apparently going over to Daisuke's house. The car jerked forward and we were on our way to our stop.

"Hello?" Daisuke waved his hand in front of my face. "Earth to Ally. What's wrong?"

"Oh! Nothing!" I retorted. "It's just…I'm worried about Brianna."

"I bet she's fine," Satoshi said as we pulled into the last stop and we unboarded.

At Daisuke's house, I left to go to my own house as Satoshi went with Daisuke. I was too spaced out to see that I walked over to where the previous bridge once was.

'Ally,' Midnight said. 'You alright? You almost walked right off the cliff.'

"I'm good," I lied. "Guess I was just too spaced out." I turned around. "Let's get-!"

I stopped dead in my tracks, stunned at the sight. 'Not again!' I thought.

"It's certainly been a while," he told me in a sicking sweet voice. "Ally."

"It has," I retorted sarcastically. "Krad."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Krad stood in front of me, smirking. That told me he was up to no good. Also, the sword in his hand told me that too.

"What do you want?" I spat the question at him.

He chuckled and lifted the blade of his sword up to his free hand. "I just came to say hello," he retorted.

"Really now?" I asked. "Then why do you have your blade drawn?"

Just then, I felt Midnight's energy becoming more powerful by the minute. Was she trying to tell me something?

"I have my sword out because…" he then swung the sword to his side, then turned towards me. "I have come to finish my job. Dark had gotten in the way last time."

I gasped. I knew he was talking about: the day Dark got poisoned. My stomach flipped upside down and I shut my eyes tight. I hated the thought of that day.

"Ally!" a voice rang from the heavens. I looked up and saw a black dot with wings headed our way.

"Dark!" I yelled back.

Krad then came near me and I was now scared. Dark landed on the ground behind his counterpart and I tried to smile at him, but my eyes were locked on the man in front of me.

"Stop, Krad!" Dark shouted at the white clad man. He ran towards us, but he wasn't fast enough.

I had lost my balance and fell backwards off the cliff. Dark looked over the edge at me and I looked up at him. I shut my eyes, knowing my time had come.

"Ally!" I heard a voice call for me and my eyes flew open. I was floating in darkness with Midnight in front of me. She was the voice.

"Midnight?" I asked.

She stretched out her hand. "If you want to survive, take my hand."

I reached out towards her hand, but stopped. "Wait. Dark'll find out. It's too soon!"

Midnight sighed. "It's time."

Trusting her words, I took her hand and a white light flashed brightly. I felt myself falling, but also transforming. I could only imagine the look on Dark and Krad's faces.

I opened my eyes, but they weren't my eyes exactly.

They were Midnight's.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

I unfurled my wings and caught an updraft, sending me shooting up to the edge where my brother and his other half sat. They looked surprised.

"Where's Ally?" Dark asked with a worried tone.

"Right here!" I pointed to my body. "I am her and she is me. Like you and Daisuke or Krad and Satoshi." I shot a look at Krad.

"What?!" Krad asked. "How long has this been going on?"

"You sound worried," I muttered to myself, then cleared my throat. "I got to fly! See you!"

I turned around and flew off to Ally's house. Chuckling, I told Ally, "So how was that?"

'Okay,' she replied. 'He looked mad and surprised. I hate it when he looks like that.'

"He'll be fine." I told her.

Suddenly, a beam from the sky and hit me in the leg. I let out a scream as I flew clumsily to the other cliff just about ten meters away.

I landed and looked at my injury. My leg had been hit right in the thigh and was bleeding, but not a whole lot. I placed my hand on the wound to try to slow the bleeding somewhat.

"You okay, Ally?" I asked.

'I'm fine.'

"That's good," I told her, then looked back towards the other cliff. Not so much to my surprise, Dark and Krad were on their way over to me. "Looks like they're coming."

Dark and Krad landed a bit later. My brother looked at me and I smiled. His counterpart looked at me, but I gave him a bored look, almost as if he wasn't there.

"You will tell me everything," Dark began. "But first, you need to get over to Emiko and have her look at your leg."

I nodded, but before I got up, someone else joined our little party.

She landed almost silently, her hair blowing in the gentle winter air.

"Hello, Midnight," Akari said.

"Nice of you to drop by, Akari," I spat at her. I tried to stand up, but my leg gave out and Dark caught me.

Akari took a few steps towards us, but stopped and grabbed her head. I was confused, but it became clearer. She was fighting someone.

Suddenly, she disappeared and Brianna stood in her place. The girl passed out and fell into the snow.

'BRIANNA!' Ally's voice cried in my head. I ran over to Brianna and knelt next to her body. I put my hand on her neck and found that she had a pulse.

"She's fine," I told Ally, but also to the two boys standing nearby. Dark came over to lift Brianna into his arms to take her to Emiko.

"I shall be going," Krad said. "Goodbye for now." With that, he flew off.

"Let's get to Emiko. Daisuke also must be worried too." Dark told me.

"Let's." I replied. We spread our wings and flew to the Niwa household.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Midnight transformed back into me and Emiko patched my leg up. Luckly it was a minor injury. Towa and Dark took Brianna to the guest bedroom for her to rest up. I sat in the chair next to the bed waiting for her to wake up.

"I can't believe it," I whispered. "Brianna was also Akari. Your prediction was right."

'I told you, it was a possibility. Now it's a fact.' Midnight said.

"I know, but…" I let my voice trail off. After a bit, I added, "It's just too…surprising."

"What is?" a voice behind me asked. I turned around to see Dark and smiled.

"All this." I showed with my hands to Brianna. "About her being Akari."

"And you being Midnight is surprising to me," he pulled up a chair and sat next to me.

"You want to know everything, huh?" I asked.

"You're a mind-reader."

"Okay," I sighed. "It was when you got poisoned by Krad. When Emiko and Daiki performed the ritual to heal you, I felt dizzy twice. Daiki put his staff over me and said there was a small power source in me. That night, Midnight appeared. That's why I went to the bathroom so quick that day. It was Midnight who pretended to be you. When I first met her in a dream, she told me I was related to the Niwa clan. Daiki's sister apparently didn't want to be part of the Niwa female tradition, so she never trained and left the Niwas. She never told my mother and never told me."

"Part of the Niwa clan?" Dark asked. "Then that means Midnight's…"

"You're twin sister." I finished for him. "So Akari is Krad's twin."

Dark looked at me in wonder. "I knew I had known Midnight from somewhere. Now it's all clear."

I was about to say something, but was interrupted by Brianna. She was stirring and finally waking up. Her eyes opened slowly as Dark and I looked over her.

"What happened?" she asked sleepily.

"Akari appeared and you took over. You fainted in the snow, so Dark flew back here with you. Midnight flew back too, with an injured leg."

'Courtesy of Akari,' Midnight scoffed in my head.

"Shut up, Midnight," I whispered, trying not to giggle.

"Midnight?" Brianna sat up.

I pointed to my body, like Midnight did when Dark asked where I was. "I am her and she is me. Just ask Dark."

Brianna looked at Dark and he nodded. She looked back to me.

"Akari is the reason I wasn't at school." She said. "She had forced me to transform and I was passed out from the pressure. I woke up when she hit Midnight with a beam. I have no idea what she did before that."

I hugged her. "Well, at least you're okay." I remembered what happens when Krad forced himself out of Satoshi. "Dark, a minute please?" he understood and walked out. I turned back to her. "With your permission, I want to see your back. When Krad forced himself out of Satoshi, he uses his white wings, creating back wounds. I want to see how bad yours are."

"Alright," she said, turning her back to me. I lifted her shirt a bit. Sure enough, she had huge wounds where the wings were.

"This must hurt," I told her, putting her shirt down.

"Yeah," she looked at me. "They do."

It was silent for a bit. I looked at my watch and stood up. "It's 5:30 now. We should be getting home."

Brianna stood up and we both walked downstairs. We put our shoes on and said goodbye to everyone before leaving. I walked Brianna to her house to make sure she was okay before going to my house.

Now that everyone knew the truth, was everything going to be better? I hoped so.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

A few weeks passed by and the second use of the Amulet was used to separate Satoshi and Krad. My father had returned home from his business trip while Dark had stolen artifacts each week. Now it was January and it was my time to be separated from Midnight.

"So," Dark placed his hands on his hips. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yes, and so is Midnight," I replied.

We were in the living room and everyone was getting ready for the separation ritual. Krad sat on the couch next to Brianna, who was blushing. I bet Krad liked her because he had his arm around her. Satoshi sat next to Brianna and Daisuke next to him. Kosuke, Emiko, Towa, and Daiki were readying the room for the ritual as Dark stood next to me.

"Okay," Emiko said, looking at me. "We're ready. Dark, please take a seat."

Dark nodded and went to the couch and Kosuke followed him with Towa nearby. Emiko and Daiki stood in front of me and I closed my eyes.

The two people raised the necklace and began to chant the same spell the past two rituals. I was nervous, but stayed calm the whole time.

Suddenly, I was in a dark room. Midnight stood in front of me and we began to move slowly apart. I ran to her, calling her name.

"No!" she called to me and I stopped. "This is part of the ritual. We're separating. Open your eyes and look at your hands."

I did as she said. Emiko and Daiki stood in front of me with the Amulet glowing brightly. I looked at my hands and almost gasped.

There was a faded outline coming out of my hand. But it wasn't mine. It was Midnight's.

I felt her body leave mine about a minute later and the ritual concluded.

"It worked," I heard someone say. I looked over, wide eyed.

Midnight stood next to me. She looked at my face and laughed.

"What, did you see a ghost or something?" she chuckled.

"So," Krad said and I looked at him and Brianna. He was looking her in the eyes and she looked like a tomato. "Brianna, do you…um…" he scratched his head and blushed. "…Want to…you know…go out sometime?"

I gasped. I was tempted to scream like a fangirl, but controlled myself. This was my best friend's Cinderella moment after all. Well, almost.

"Um…sure…" Brianna replied.

"Okay, Ally," Emiko said. "How do you feel?"

"Good," I retorted.

"Midnight?" Dark asked, walking over to me.

"Better than I ever have," she said. "Now if you'll excuse me," she exited out the back door and flew off. I knew it was to stretch her wings and enjoy her newfound freedom.

"So," Dark said. "Now that we have our own bodies, wanna go out again?" he turned to Krad. "Yo, Kraddy!" Krad glared at him. "Want to have a double date soon? It'll be fun!"

Krad glared at him, but sighed. "Why not?"

I smiled and looked at my watch. "Must be going now." I hugged Dark and left.

On my walk home, Midnight landed next to me on the bridge. "So," she began. "Where will I sleep?"

"What?" I asked.

"Since we're separated, I need to sleep somewhere at your home."

"No way!" I said. "If I let you stay, my parents will kill me!"

"I'll be silent," she said as I opened the front door. "I am the Phantom Thief's twin sister, after all."

I sighed. "Fine. You can sleep on the futon in my room."

"Okay," she said as we walked upstairs. I opened the door to my room and set my bag on my bed. I sat down and Midnight sat next to me as we formulated a plan for her to stay with me.

We had created a great plan for us being secret roommates. But I didn't expect it to last long.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The next morning, I got a very, VERY unexpected surprise while on my way to school.

"WHA-?!" I shouted.

"It's true," Midnight replied. We'd agreed for her to stay her as long as my parents didn't find out. "I'll be attending Azumano with you."

"Y-you can't!" I retorted. "You'll be recognized!"

"That's why I'm doing this to my hair," she turned away from the mirror she was looking in to show me what she meant. My former other self had put her hair in pigtails running down her body to her waist. The spikes on top of her hair had been smoothed forward and gave her the appearance of more bangs. She looked like a completely different person.

"Wow," was all I said. "But wait. Where's your school uniform?"

She opened my-now known as 'our'-closet and revealed a school uniform like mine, only larger. "I already registered this morning when no one was around. I hacked the system last night and said I was a new student registered on Friday. I'm in your class under the name of Jessica, an exchange student from America."

"Oh," I grabbed my bag and jacket. "Okay. Meet you at Daisuke's house." I closed the door behind me.

"Hey," I greeted to my parents. My mother was making a plate of eggs and bacon for me and my dad was at the table eating.

"Good morning, hunny," my dad replied as I sat down, quickly eating my breakfast. "How are you?"

"Kind of excited." I truthfully said after I took a sip of apple juice. "I heard we're getting an exchange student today from America." Well, I was telling the truth.

"That's great!" my mother sang as she sat down. Both my parents were dressed for work. "Someone who you can relate to!"

I almost choked on my bacon, trying to hold in a laugh. I took a sip of juice. If only my parents knew the half of it.

"Well, I must be going!" I stood up and went to the front door to put on my shoes.

"Hunny," my dad called just before I left. He came around the corner with my mom behind him. "Your mother has told me you've been going over to Daisuke Niwa's house a lot recently. I've always had my suspicions about that boy."

"So?" I replied, putting on my coat.

"Just be careful around him. You may be older, but just keep your guard up."

"Trust me, dad," I went up to him and hugged him. "My guard is always up around him. No matter what."

I hugged my mom and left the house. I was just about to arrive at the bridge when I got a strong wind behind me.

"You can't scare me, Dark. I know all of your-" I turned and my breath caught. "Krad?"

"Yeah?" the blonde angel replied. His hair was down and he was wearing his Azumano school uniform.

"What's with the disguise?" I replied, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Going to school. Emiko said I had to."

"Oh," I replied, walking to the bridge. "Midnight told me she's going to school too. What name are you going by?"

He stopped in the middle of the bridge and I turned to look at him. His face looked like a tomato. "Um…" he began quietly. "Jeff."

"What's wrong with that name?"

"Nothing," he straightened up and walked ahead. "Let's get going."

I followed him to Daisuke's house. Midnight was already there with Daisuke and Dark. Dark had his hair slicked forward and, like Midnight's, gave him the appearance of more bangs.

"Hey!" I replied and Dark looked to me.

"What's up?" he called and I felt my face flush red. He motioned to his outfit. "Surprised?"

"Um, what's with your outfit?" I replied.

"I'm going to attend Azumano." He walked over to me and smiled. I blushed. "I'll be in your class just like Kraddy and Midnight. I'm going by the name Nick."

"Cool," I shifted my backpack so it was more comfortable. "Let's go." I began to walk ahead towards the station. Dark caught up to me quickly as the other three followed.

"What made you decide to come to school?" I asked the thief. So far, no one knew who he was.

The thief sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Emiko said I had to, along with Kraddy and Midnight."

I looked back at the three others. Daisuke and Midnight were deep in a conversation and Krad was looking as if he didn't care to go to school. I turned my eyes back to Dark, but still had Krad in sight.

"So, where are we going for our double date?" I asked, keeping an eye on Krad. Once I said this, he twitched a bit.

"Well, I was thinking a movie." Dark explained as we arrived at the station. We got onto the train and I sat down.

"Wonder what Brianna will say when she sees you, Kraddy," Midnight nudged the blonde man and Krad let out a low growl as the train began to move. Daisuke let out a low chuckle.

"That sounds good," I replied to the thief. "When do you think we can do the double date?"

"I don't know," he stretched out and put his arms behind his head, crossing his legs. "What will be good for you?"

"I have no idea," I thought for a bit. "Maybe on a Saturday?"

"Sure," Dark sat up as we arrived at the next station. Riku and Risa were surprised to see the two new people with us. Satoshi and Brianna kept looking at Krad, puzzlement on their faces. Brianna blushed big time. Risa immediately

I giggled. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Jessica," I motioned to Midnight. "Jeff," then to Krad. "and Nick." I finished with Dark.

"What are you guys doing?" Satoshi asked. "You'll be caught! You're lucky I haven't did anything now." He directed to Midnight and Dark. I gave him a shut up look and eyed the twins and he nodded.

The thief next to me laughed. "We're new foreign exchange students from America. Maybe you'd like to help us out?" He looked at Risa, who looked like she was going to faint.

"Sure," she replied. "But you look an awfully lot like a thief here named Phantom Dark Mousy."

"Who is that?" Midnight asked with a convincing confused look as Krad just stood there, silent.

"A perverted thief who takes things." Riku replied, then added, "You look a lot like the other person who goes with Dark on his thefts," then she looked at Krad. "And you look like the guy who attacks Dark."

"We've never heard of Dark," Krad said. "Maybe we can go to his next theft?"

"Sure!" Risa chimed in. "It's this Saturday night at ten! Meet us at the museum okay?" We all just nodded quietly, smiling and trying to hold in our laughs as the car stopped at the top of the hill.

We all exited and went to the school. Brianna stayed close to Krad's side and I did the same, but to Dark. Satoshi, Daisuke, and Midnight were talking about the sports team's next meet.

When we arrived at the school, we got into our classroom. Dark took a seat behind Daisuke, Krad behind Satoshi, and Midnight behind Brianna. The teacher walked in and everyone became quiet when the bell rang.

"Good morning, class," she greeted us as she set her bag on her desk.

"Good morning," everyone but the three 'foreign exchange students' replied.

"Today we have three new students from America joining our class." She looked at her class roster. "Jessica, Jeff, and Nick, please come up here."

Dark was first, then Midnight and Krad. The girls kept whispering about Dark and how much he looked like the Phantom Thief himself. If only they knew.

"Hey everyone," Dark put up a hand as if to say 'hi'. "I'm Nick. It's very nice to meet you!" almost all the girls in the room sighed lovingly.

"'Sup? I'm Jessica!" Midnight said.

"I'm Jeff. Hello," Krad finished off.

The teacher clapped her hands. "Please take your seats and we can get started."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Dark stretched his arms out and sat next to me on the bench. It was lunch time and so far, no one has figured out who the three new "foreign exchange" students were really. One thing was, though, is that Dark-a.k.a. Nick-had a fan club of all girls.

"Well," the thief next to me opened his box lunch and stuck a chopstick full of rice in his mouth. "This has been a fun day-"

"You're not sneaking out of school, Mousy," Krad-a.k.a. Jeff- spat at him. He sat next to Brianna. Good thing this bench could hold up to six people.

"I was going to say so far," Dark replied. "But thanks for the idea." He looked at the sky as if trying to see how long it would take him to fly away without being caught.

"Oh, shut up, bro!" Midnight-a.k.a. Jessica-elbowed her brother in the stomach. She was sitting next to him, so her attack was effective. Brianna, who sat on my right side, giggled a bit and I joined in.

We all ate and talked about various things when a girl with glasses and red hair strolled up to Krad.

"Hey," she began with a confused look. "You look like the guy who tries to stop Phantom Thief Dark on his thefts." I couldn't help but noticed a small smirk on Dark's face.

"Never heard of the guy." The blonde replied with a fake confused look as he took his last bite of salmon.

"Okay," the girl waved. "Sorry to bother you." She ran off to her friends.

"Whoa, Kraddy!" Dark laughed.

"Shut it, thief," Krad closed his box.

"You may want to cut your hair to avoid getting caught," Brianna suggested.

Krad snorted as we all stood up and went to class as the bell rang.

After school, the five of us met with the Harada twins, Daisuke, and Satoshi as we boarded the car and talked up a storm. The twins, Brianna, and Satoshi left at the first stop and the rest of us talked until we left at the last stop.

At Daisuke's house, Emiko and Towa were waiting outside.

"Hey! How was school?" Emiko asked.

"Good," we all replied at once and began to laugh.

"You want to come in for a snack?" Towa asked.

"Sounds good, but I need to get home and do some chores." I replied. "I'll see you later."

Everyone waved at us as Midnight and I left. We arrived at the bridge and were walking across it when a huge gust of wind knocked me off my feet. Luckly, Midnight caught me.

"Surprise," Akari's voice sent a chill down my spine.

"What do you want?" Midnight spat at her in an angry tone as she helped me to my feet. "When did you take over Brianna's body?"

"Just as she entered her house door. Her home is only a few blocks from the station." The white-clad girl took a step near me and we backed up. I could feel drops of sweat on my neck and was scared to death.

Suddenly, I spotted two black dots flying towards us in the sky. I waved at them and yelled, "Dark! Krad! Over here!"

Akari let out a growl as she pulled out her sword and I gasped. Midnight slowly extended her wings and put her left one in front of me. Dark and Krad landed behind us, wings spread out.

"Ally," Midnight began. "When I give the signal, run towards the house. Dark, Krad, you'll both attack Akari with me." I nodded.

After a few seconds, Midnight shouted "NOW!" and I turned and ran to my house as the others fought. As I was running, I slipped on some ice and almost fell, but I balanced myself and ran again. I slipped again, but this time, I wasn't so lucky.

I fell off the side and screamed as a hand grabbed mine. It was Dark. His arm was cut and so was his leg, but not much.

"Ally! Hang on!" he yelled and I nodded. Akari came behind him and, using the bottom of her sword's handle, thrust it into the thief's back. He let out a short cry of pain and let his head hang down.

And let go of my hand.

I plummeted into the icy ocean below and let it consume me as its prey. My eyes closed and the last thing I saw was Dark's head hanging down of the side of the bridge, trying to save me.

Even though I was underwater, I felt myself shed a single salty tear.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Dark had just watched Ally fall down into the water about one hundred feet below him. He couldn't believe that he had let his love go, all because Akari hit him. Without thinking, he stood up and took a few steps back, folding his wings flat against his back.

"Dark?!" he heard Krad yell at him. The blonde was fighting Akari with Midnight. "What are you-!"

Before he could finish, Dark jumped off the bridge and dove into the depths below. He looked ahead and saw Ally, floating unconscious. Quickly, he swam down fast and grabbed her arm and pulled her to the surface.

He felt his breath beginning to leave him as he tried to get to the surface, but he continued, determined to help Ally. Even if it meant he would die.

Once he got his head above the water, he let out a gasp for air. The thief then pulled Ally's head above water and felt her neck for a pulse. She still had one, but it was faint.

"Dark!" he heard Midnight above him and looked up. His sister was leaning off the side of the bridge with Krad next to her. Akari must have escaped.

"Ally's good!" he yelled back. "But she still needs to get ashore!"

"The closest beach is fifty feet to the right of you!" Krad yelled. "We'll meet you there!"

The two angels on the bridge flew off as Dark began to swim towards the beach. He could see the beach and swam fast. When he neared it, the two angels landed and helped him get Ally on land. She was still breathing, but her lips were pale.

"She'll be fine," Midnight said as Dark knelt by the fainted girl's head. "She'll need CPR."

"I'll do it," Dark offered as he put his hands on her chest. He pressed down three times and moved his hands up to her head. Leaning it backwards, he plugged her nose and put his mouth to hers. The thief flinched as he felt the cold, but still let out a deep breath.

He repeated the process until…


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

I felt my breath return to me in a rush and I coughed up some water. It was very cold around me and I was guessing it was the wind around my wet body.

"Ally?" I heard Dark's voice and I opened my eyes. Dark was near my head and Midnight was next to him. Krad was standing against the rocky cliff.

I sat up and noticed that we were on a small beach at the bottom of the 100 foot cliff near my house. The ocean sent a chill down my spine.

"Let's get you to Emiko's house," Dark picked me up princess style and flew off to the Niwa house.

We landed a bit later and the thief holding me walked into the house.

"Hey, where have you-" Emiko paused at the sight of me and Dark. "Why are you two wet?"

"Ally sort of fell into the ocean near our house and I dove in for her." Dark replied as he set me on the couch and he sat next to me. He helped me take off my jacket as Towa came over and wrapped a blanket around me and Dark. I was still shivering, but the blanket helped me warm up.

"How did she fall?" Emiko handed me and Dark some tea and I began to suck mine down.

"Well," Dark began. "Akari showed up while she and Midnight were walking home and Krad and I arrived to help. We attacked Krad's twin as Ally ran. She slipped on some ice and almost fell but I caught her. Akari thrusted the back of her sword handle into my back and I let her go."

I opened my mouth and sucked in a breath. "Don't blame yourself," I said. The salty water must have made my throat dry because my voice sounded raspy.

"I don't." Dark said. "I don't blame myself. I know better. It was all Akari."

"Now, Dark," Daiki came over to us, his cup of sake in hand. "Don't let that rage build up inside. You'll turn into a monster."

"I know," the thief replied and looked at me. "I'm just glad we saved Ally in time. If we'd waited a moment later, she might have drowned."

I smiled at him. I was glad he was okay too.

After a bit of talking, I stood up. "I must be going. My parents will be home soon."

"Okay," Midnight stood as well. "I'll fly us home."

We flew back and Midnight set me down on my bed. She grabbed me some clothing and left the room as I changed.

"You need some rest." She helped me lay down and covered me with my blankets. "Good night. I'll wake you half an hour before your parents get back."

"'Night." I replied as I closed my eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

I felt someone shaking me and I opened my eyes. Midnight stood in front of me.

"Hey," she said calmly. "You're parents will be home in thirty minutes."

"Okay," I sat up and stretched my arms. I got out of bed and went to my desk and began to take out my homework, but Midnight stepped near me and grabbed my wrist. I looked up at her, confused.

"What's wrong? I just need to do my homework," I told her, trying to pull my hand away.

"You've had a very long day, Ally. Why don't you just go watch some television or something and I'll do your homework." She replied with a smile.

"Okay," I said, standing up and leaving my room. I went downstairs and sat on the nearest couch when the phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered it.

"Hi," said Emiko on the other end. "How are you doing?"

"Fine. Midnight told me to rest and I took a cat nap. How's Dark?" I asked.

"He's perfectly fine. Although…" her voice trailed off.

"What?" I retorted.

"He's…um…" Emiko began. Her voice then became distant when another voice-maybe Daisuke's-came on.

"Hey, Ally," Daisuke said.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"Dark ran off. He's not here."

My heart stopped for what seemed like forever. Dark was…gone. "What?" I heard myself say.

"He went to his and Krad's room and never came out. I went in there to talk to him and he told me these exact words, 'Ally keeps getting hurt because of me. My actions put her in danger. What happened today was not Akari's doing. It was me. She fell because I tried to hold on but Akari hit me and I dropped her. If I just ran off, then Ally won't get hurt anymore.' He told me not to tell anyone, but you needed to hear it. I figured you must hear those words from Dark. I'm sorry."

I had to hold on to the counter to avoid falling to my knees and bawl like a little baby. Tears began to fall down my face and I bit my lip to avoid cursing to the world and screaming. My heart was torn in half and I couldn't do anything to heal it.

"Ally?" Daisuke asked.

"Where has…he…gone?" I sniffled and my voice sounded choked up.

"I don't know," he replied. "But when we get an update, we'll let you be the first to know."

"Thank you." I hung up the phone and fell to my knees. My tears wouldn't stop and I opened my mouth and took a deep breath.

And then I let out a loud sorrow-filled scream.

I bawled like a baby loudly for the whole world to hear. Right now, I needed a miracle. I hoped my voice reached Dark and he would come back. But I knew that was not an option.

"Ally?!" Midnight came down the steps and looked around the corner to see me on the floor, miserable. I heard her gasp and looked at her. "What's wrong?" she asked as she came over to me and knelt down.

"Dark…ran…away." I gasped for air between each word I spoke. "He…blames…himself…for…everything…that's…happened…to me!" I let out a wail and covered my face with my hands. Midnight put her arms around me and helped me to my feet. She led me upstairs and put me on my bed. There I cried a bit more and my sobs began to die down.

"When did he run away?" Midnight asked.

"You can call the Niwa's to find out if you want. That's how I found out." I laid down on my bed and buried my head in my pillow.

"You need to find out an excuse for all this crying for your parents." Midnight said as she left the room.

I laid, head in pillow, too depressed to even think of something. Images of me and Dark flashed through my head. Every possible memory of him felt like a dream.

Almost like he never existed. But he did to me. He did to my heart.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The sky was clear with no snow or rain falling. It was a perfect for flying. It was perfect for Dark. His big black wings carried him far away from his former home. He was not going to turn back soon. Maybe he won't go back ever again.

He found the Tokyo Tower and perched at its top. No one was there, so he would just look like a new statue added to it. The thief felt a tear begin to appear in his eye and wiped it away.

"I'm sorry, Ally," he whispered. "But this is for your safety. I can't stand to see you get hurt again."

"Is that so?" a voice behind Dark made him turn around quickly, battle pose ready. It was Krad, perched next to him.

"Krad? What are you doing here?" the thief demanded.

Krad stretched out his wings and sighed. "I saw you left and told everyone. They became frantic and Emiko called your girlfriend. I flew after you and now here I am."

"Ally knows?!" Dark stood up quickly, then sank back down to his original position. "Let her know. She needs to know what happened to her love."

It was silent for a moment. Birds chirped their songs and people chattered down below. Dark knew Ally would bawl her heart out, but that would let her know the thief was real. She needed to forget about him.

"So," Dark broke the silence. "Will Brianna and Akari's separation ritual coming up soon?"

"It'll be in a few weeks." Krad replied. He stood up and then gave the black clad man a thumbs up. "I'll keep your location a secret. Where are you going?"

"I'll stay here in Tokyo. Just call me on this cell phone if there's any major trouble." Dark replied, standing up. "Like if Akari kidnaps Ally."

They both laughed. "Like that'll ever happen!" Krad said, then shoke Dark's hand. "I'll see you later, Dark Mousy."

"You, and only you, can visit me whenever you want to!" Dark replied.

Both men flew off the Tower and headed in their separate directions. Krad flew back to the Niwa household while Dark went to look for a nice place to stay in while in Tokyo.

Dark's wish for peace and quiet won't last for a long time like he hoped. It'll be shorter than he'll ever expect.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

I kept looking over at Dark's empty desk. It was school the day after Dark went missing and I missed him dearly. Even now I felt like breaking down in tears, but I couldn't. My tears were dried up.

"Ally…" Brianna softly said at lunch.

"Yeah?" I replied to her. Midnight sat next to me and Krad sat next to Brianna. My "twin" sat next to me.

"…Dai told me what happened. I'm so sorry. You must me devastated."

"She was," Midnight said to her. "Yesterday, she couldn't stop crying."

"So, I guess you and Krad will have to go on a date with only you two. Sorry," I told them.

"It's okay. I know you're busy," Krad told me, being oddly nice. Especially since he was the one who cut my shoulder just last month.

The bell rang and we went to class. After school, we met up and I decided not to really talk on the way home. At the bridge, I winced at the memory of my last sighting of Dark and ran home without slipping. It felt good for the freshly fallen snow to hit my face and clear my mind. I almost slipped one time, but regained my balance.

"Ally!" I heard Midnight behind me. "Stop!" but I didn't listen to her. I kept on running.

At home, I burst through the door and ran to my room. I belly flopped on my bed and began to cry. I heard Midnight, but didn't bother to look up.

"Why the heck did you run?!" she yelled at me, throwing her bag down. "You could have fallen and Dark wouldn't save you! You idiot!"

I looked at her and she had tears in her eyes. She never yelled at me.

I bowed my head. "I'm sorry," I choked.

She then slapped me and I froze, my eyes wide looking at my desk.

"Dark is gone! You can't just keep doing things like that! You might get hurt! Die even!" she spat.

We stayed surrounded in silence for a bit. I began to cry again and bowed my head so she couldn't see.

"I'm sorry…" I said. I cried harder. "I'm sorry…" I repeated.

She sat next to me and wrapped her arms around me. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have slapped you." She whispered to me in a comforting voice. "Your heart must be hurting so much right now."

I turned towards her and buried my face in her shoulder. For now, she was the only one around that I could trust. I could trust Brianna and her the most. Midnight wrapped her arms around me again and stroked my hair.

"It is alright." She told me softly. "I'll bet anything that Dark will be back for whatever reason it is."

I knew in my heart that what she just said was true. Dark will be back.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Brianna sat across from Krad, blushing. They decided to go out to a simple dinner as their date. It was the night after Dark left and Ally couldn't do the double date. Right now, it was very awkward for them.

"So," Krad broke the silence. "How was your…afternoon?"

"Good," came Brianna's simple reply. She took a sip of her water and looked around, wondering when their food will come. She felt something weird inside her and she knew what it was. The blonde girl turned away from Krad and clutched her chest. "Stop interfering, Akari." She hissed.

'Aw, come on! Let me out and we'll have some real fun.' Akari said within her.

"Never in a million years!" the blonde girl hissed.

"What?" Krad asked.

"Nothing!" Brianna shook her head, blushing.

'Aw,' Akari said. Brianna twitched. 'So you don't wanna hear my plan?'

'What plan?" Brianna thought while taking another drink.

'I plan on storming into Ally's house and killing her. That way, Dark and Midnight will attack me and I'll kill them!' Akari laughed.

Brianna lowered her head so her hair would be covering her face. She hated Akari so much!

"Brianna? Is everything alright?" Krad put his hand on her shoulder.

"Akari…" Brianna whispered to him. Krad's breath caught in his throat. "She told me that…she's planning on killing Ally, which will lure in Dark and Midnight and kill them. We have to do something."

Their waiter brought them their food. He had long black hair and dark eyes with a moustache. He noticed Brianna's look and his smile faded.

"Is something wrong, miss?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing is wrong." Brianna said quickly. "Sorry to worry you."

"You just looked depressed is all." The waiter handed Brianna and Krad their hamburgers. "My name is Michael if you need anything." He walked off.

Krad picked up his hamburger and was about to take a bite when he noticed Brianna with her hands in her lap, not touching her food. He put down his burger and looked at her.

"What's wrong Brianna?" he asked.

"It's just Akari's warning." She said in a low voice.

"Don't worry," Krad assured her. "Akari won't get within a hundred feet of Ally. If she does, we'll be there to stop her. All we need to do is have you separated then…"

"No!" Brianna interrupted him. "I don't want to go through with it."

"Why not?"

Brianna paused for a moment. "Akari will go on a rampage, injuring, even killing, people. I don't want that."

"But she's torturing you!" Krad backfired at her.

"I'm fine! Having Akari go on a rampage is worse!" Brianna took a drink and a bite of her hamburger.

"Brianna…" Krad said.

"My answer is no." Brianna took another bite of her sandwich. Krad opened his mouth once more, but shut it. Nothing would change Brianna's mind. She was too stubborn.

The rest of the night was calm for Brianna. But there was one thought on her mind: where had Dark gone to and what was he up to.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 35

Dark deeply sighed as he laid on the couch in his rented apartment in Tokyo. It was small, but sill big enough for him. The apartment had a kitchen linking to the living room, like at his old house, with one bedroom for him. It was pre-furnished, so he didn't have to buy all that stuff.

The thief flipped through the channels on his television. Everything was in Japanese, but it was a good thing he knew the language. Without it, he wouldn't know what items to steal most of the time. He finally decided on a game show where the contestants have to run through silly obstacle courses with many surprises. It gave Dark a chuckle or two when his cell phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Dark Mousy," Krad's voice on the other end replied.

"What is it now, Krad?" Dark stood up and went to his kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out a soda. Opening it, he added, "I'm not coming back."

"You might want to soon" Krad's voice sounded urgent. "Last night, me and Brianna had our date alone when Akari gave us some startling news."

Dark took a sip of his soda. "Like I said, I'm not-"

"Akari's planning on killing Ally to lure you and Midnight in and kill you."

Dark's eyes widened and he almost dropped his soda can. He couldn't imagine Ally dead: it was impossible. After a second, he swallowed the lump in his throat and chuckled nervously.

"You must be pulling on my leg, Kraddy," he sat down on the couch. His knees were feeling like jell-o and about to give at any second.

"I am not," Krad spat into the phone. "You need to come back now until we're certain Ally is safe."

"No way! I'm a free man now. Don't prank call me again. This number is for emergency's only. Good bye." Dark told his counterpart.

"Wait-!" Krad tried to finish, but Dark hung up.

He watched the game show on television, but he kept thinking about Krad's warning. Was he telling a lie or the truth? The thief felt his heart tell him to go back to check up on what was happening, but his mind told him no. He listened to his mind.

That night, he had a nightmare. All he saw was Akari with a bloody sword in one blood stained hand and the other held…a person. The person had blood-soaked brunette hair and torn clothing with blood on it. Dark saw the face of the dead person and he almost threw up.

It was Ally.

"ALLY!" he screamed as he sat up quickly in his bed. He was panting and sweating like crazy. Dark took a deep breath and went to his bathroom. The thief splashed cold water on his face to cool him down.

Dark look at himself in the mirror and sighed. "It was just a dream," he told the reflection, which repeated his movements. "Was it?"

He went back to his bed and covered up, but he threw the blankets off a few minutes later: he was still hot from the dream. A bit later, he turned on the ceiling fan, but it failed to help him. For the rest of the night, he couldn't sleep in fear of that dream to reoccur.

The morning came and Dark sat up, still felling hot. He needed to get out today. Just to clear his mind.

He turned on his television in the living room and it was a commercial for Tokyo Disneyland. People rode the rides, smiling without a care in the world. Dark sat down with a bowl of cereal and he watched the rest of the commercial. When the website came up, he grabbed his laptop and went online. The thief ordered two full day passes for him for that day and one on reserve.

He thought it was the best way to clear his mind on his nightmare.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

I lay on my bed, still depressed about Dark leaving. My parents agreed to let me stay home because I had told them one of my friends went missing and I didn't want to go to school.

I sighed and stood up. My legs carried me downstairs and I got some lunch when I remembered Brianna might be at lunch then. I quickly went upstairs and grabbed my phone. My fingers dialed her number and it rang twice.

"Ally? What's up? Midnight told me what was up," her voice sounded reassuring.

"I'm fine," I lied. "Still sad that Dark's gone though. Can you come over after school to hang out?"

"Sure thing," she said.

"Please tell Krad and Midnight to come over too." I said as I took a bite of my sandwich I made.

Her voice sounded distant and I heard other voices too. "They'll come over," Brianna said again.

"Thanks," I hung up and watched television. It was on a commercial of Tokyo Disneyland with people having fun on rides. I would mention that to my parents as a possible summer idea.

I kept thinking of Dark every second. How was he and where was he were the most things I thought of. I returned to my room and took a quick nap.

I had a dream with Dark in it. He was in flight with his beautiful black wings spread wide. The thief landed my me on a beach. I was wearing a white dress with no shoes.

"Hello, my princess." He said in a sweet voice. I felt my heart skip a beat and I blushed. He held out his hand and I took it in mine. We walked on the beach looking at the sunset.

"Ally," he stopped and I turned to look at him.

"Yes, Dark?" I asked.

He walked up and took my face in his free hand and looked into my eyes. "I love you," he told me.

"I love you," I replied and moved forward. My lips almost connected to his when I woke up. I felt tears in m eyes and I wiped them away when the doorbell rang.

'Brianna must be here,' I thought as I went to the front door. I unlatched the chain and looked through the little hole in the door while I unlocked it. My breath caught in my throat and I backed away from the door. A huge rush of wind opened the door and knocked me back into the wall. I felt my breath leave me as I looked at the figure now entering my house.

"Akari…" I breathed.

"Miss me?" she smiled as she reached for her sword. I was too scared to move as she put the tip of her sword under my chin.

"You will die. Right here, right now," she said as she lifted her sword sideways. I screamed and ran off as her sword made contact with the ground.

I ran into the kitchen where she hit the shoulder that Krad had hurt earlier (see chapter 1) and I let out a cry of pain. Akari lifted the sword again and, with my hand on my shoulder, I ran to the stairs. Just as Akari got to me, Midnight and Krad bursted through the door.

"Ally!" they both yelled as Akari hit me in the side of my torso and I winced painfully.

"Get out of here!" I screamed at them as I ran upstairs, Akari on my tail. She hit me in the leg and I fell just at the top of the stairs. Tears began to form in my eyes and Akari stood over me.

"Krad! Call Dark!" Midnight yelled as she ran up the stairs.

"What?!" I asked as Akari struck above my eye and I yelled in pain.

Krad pulled out his phone and dialed the number.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Dark looked around in the crowd of people. He was at Tokyo Disneyland and it was crowded with people of all ages. Mascots of Mickey and the others posed for pictures with toddlers and more.

The thief had a hat on to disguise his hair so no one would recognize him. He still remembered the nightmare he had and he knew some rides would help. Dark had chosen to ride Thunder Mountain as his first stop.

While in line, he felt his cell phone vibrate and he saw it was Krad. Was he prank calling again? Sighing, Dark answered.

"What do you want, Krad? You know this phone is for emergency's only and-"

"Dark! Quick!" Krad said quickly and the thief heard battle noises in the background.

"Krad?!" Dark made his way back out of the line and listened to his other half. "What's going on?"

"Akari's attacking Ally! We're at her house! Get here now!"

"I'm not buying that bit for one second." Dark said, but the next thing he heard made him change his mind.

"DARK! HELP!" Ally's voice sounded frantic.

Immediately, he spread his wings out wide, not caring how people reacted. "I'm on my way," he hung up and took off. He flew as fast as he could to Ally's house. His nightmare was true! Ally was in danger! He flew quicker as he entered the city of Azumano not ten minutes after he left Tokyo Disneyland. Dark had been flying very fast.

"Please don't be too late!" he told himself as he spotted Ally's house. He dove into the road nearby and skidded to a halt in front of his love's house.

"Ally!" he burst through the front door. He saw his twin and other self battling Akari. He then saw Ally, lying on the ground, bloody and beat up.

"No…" he said, then ran to the girl on the ground. "Ally!"


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"Ally!" I heard Dark yell in the distance and I looked up. It must have been a dream: he would never come back. I felt strong arms under me as a figure knelt down and picked up my upper torso and head.

"Dark?" I asked weakly.

"Ally," it was Dark's voice! It was him holding me! He was back! He put his head near mine and closed his eyes. "I'm here. I'm back."

"Dark!" Krad yelled. "We need help!"

Dark put down my body and went to help defeat Akari. I used my hands and tried to crawl away, but Akari's foot pressed me down hard onto the ground.

"No!" Midnight yelled.

Akari laughed over me. "You'll never stop me! Now that Dark is here, you can witness her death!" I felt the cold sword on my neck and I closed my eyes tight and waited for my death.

I felt Akari's foot leave as she groaned. Quickly, I stood up and, with an injured leg, limped away.

"Stop interfering!" Akari yelled as a bright light came from her and she changed back to Brianna. The blonde passed out and was about to hit the ground, but Krad and Midnight caught her. I smiled, glad she was okay, and fell down on the ground.

"Dark," I heard Midnight say. "Go help Ally. She needs you the most right now. Trust me."

Dark came over to me and lifted my torso again.

"Dark…" I felt tears stinging my cheeks. "You're back…"

"I am," he replied, placing a quick kiss on my forehead. "And I'm never going to leave again."

"Brianna's fine," Midnight said as Dark picked me up princess style. "How's Ally?"

"I'm fine," I said. "I'm glad everything's normal now." Dark brought me into my living room as Midnight grabbed the first aid kit.

"How are you going to explain this one to your parents?" she asked, opening the box and taking out the bandages.

"I have no idea." I said truthfully.

"Ally?" Brianna's voice sounded as she came into view. She gasped at the sight of me. "What happened?"

"You know," I told her as Midnight pit a bandage on the cut on my cheek.

"I'm so sorry," she said, sitting next to Dark. "I'm glad to see you, Dark."

"You, too," he smiled back as Midnight wrapped a bandage around my head, hiding the cut on my forehead. I winced as she tied it off.

"I'm going to report to Emiko," Krad announced as he spread his wings. "I'll be back with her."

"Okay, thanks," I said as Midnight tended to my leg wound.

Krad walked off and it was silent in the room. Midnight finished my leg and worked on my shoulder. My hand never left my injured side as she worked on my wounds.

"So, what's your excuse for this?" Brianna asked me.

"I don't know," I said. Midnight tapped my hand on my side and I hesitated to take it off. Dark held his hand out for me to hold and I took it while Midnight bandaged my side up.

"You need to have an excuse," Midnight told me as she wrapped my side. "You can't tell the truth."

"I know." I knew it was true. My parents would never believe that I was friend with the Phantom Thief.

"Done," Midnight said as she put the remainder of the bandages away. "You had lost a lot of blood. Let's see what we can do…"

Midnight pulled out a feather and held it in front of me. She chanted a spell and her feather glowed. My wounds began to glow and it felt weird. A few moments later, she put the feather down and smiled.

"Your wounds are healed, but let's keep the bandages on your leg, shoulder, and side for now. Before your parents get home, we'll take off the head ones." She explained. I nodded and smiled. Brianna stood up as Krad walked into the living room with Emiko behind him.

"Ally!" she hugged me and I winced at the pain in my shoulder and side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I said when she let me go.

Emiko looked at Dark and hugged him. "Does this mean you're staying?"

The thief looked at me and I smiled, tears in my eyes. "Yes, as long as Ally needs protection, I'll be here."

I smiled and hugged him, tears in my eyes. "I'm glad you're not leaving," I said.

He lifted my head so our eyes would meet and he pressed his lips to mine. I pressed against his and wrapped my arms around his neck. Man, I wanted to stay like that forever and ever.

We broke away and caught our breaths. I smiled and he smiled back. "I'll see you later." He pecked my cheek and left with Krad and Emiko.

"I must be going to," Brianna said as she walked to the front door. I walked her to it.

"Good bye," I hugged her and she left.

I rejoined Midnight in the living room. As I sat down, I kept thinking one thought: would life be back to normal since Dark was back?

That night, I lay silent in my bed as Midnight slept. I felt a wind on my back and I turned over to see a familiar figure in my window. I sat up and smiled.

"Dark," I began as he walked over to me. His smile shone like a lighthouse in the darkness. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," he sat down on the edge of m bed. He took his hand and wiped the hair out of m face to reveal the barely visible forehead scar. His eyes then trailed to Midnight, sleeping soundly. "She's had a long day, too, hasn't she?"

"Yeah," I replied, lying back down. He began to stand, but I grabbed his sleeve. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm leaving. You must be tired."

"You can't leave me again!" I cried as a tear fell over my cheek scar.

"I'm not, honestly," he said, sitting back down. "I'll never do that again. I was going back to Daisuke's house."

"Oh," I said, lying my head back on the pillow. "Please stay with me until I fall asleep."

His eyes widened, then relaxed. "Anything for you, princess."

I blushed and smiled. Closing my eyes, I felt Dark take my hand and held it in his. I squeezed it to make sure this wasn't a dream, and it didn't disappear.

"Good night, Ally," Dark told me, kissing my cheek softly as I fell into a deep sleep.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"We need to separate you and Akari soon!" Krad told Brianna at lunch.

I decided to come back to school the day after Akari's attack and so did Dark. Every girl seemed to love the fact he was back. It had been a few weeks since Dark decided to run. Now it was the Friday before Brianna's separation ritual.

"I don't know," Brianna took a bite of her fish.

"Brianna," I began with an emotionless voice. "You must do this. We will contain Akari, so she won't go on a rampage. We promise."

Brianna looked at everybody's faces and we all nodded, agreeing with my comment. She sighed, took a bite of rice, and nodded her head.

"I'll do it," she said and we all cheered. "But first, please tell me how you are planning to contain her."

"Well," Dark began. "When the ritual is over and you two are separated, Krad, Midnight and I will jump on her, restraining her movements."

"We will then put her in a spare room and I will put a spell on it that will never let her out, but we can go in and out freely," Krad finished.

"are you sure she'll never get out?" Brianna asked.

"Positive," Midnight said. "We promise she will never get out."

Brianna sighed and closed her box lunch. "Sounds like a plan."

We all cheered and I hugged my friend.

It was Sunday and time for Brianna to be separated from Akari. I sat on the Niwa's couch as Brianna stood in the middle of their living room. Dark, Krad, and Midnight were on standby so when Akari and Brianna are separated, they'll grab her and drag her into the spare room.

"Are you ready, Brianna?" Emiko asked, holding the amulet in front of my friend.

I heard Brianna gulp loudly, and then she nodded, closing her eyes.

Emiko chanted the spell for the final time and Brianna began to glow. A second glowing figure with large wings separated from her and the three on standby positioned themselves to jump on Akari.

When the glowing stopped, Akari stood next to Brianna. She glared at me and my eyes widen, my heart pounding heavily.

"You should be dead!" she cried, taking a step towards me. I flinched away.

"Now!" Dark yelled. He, Krad, and Midnight all jumped on Akari, restraining her movements greatly. They pulled her away and I followed, Brianna next to me.

We stopped when the three stopped in front of an empty room and tossed Akari in. Krad quickly closed the door and chanted a spell as the rim of it glowed.

"She'll never get out now," the blonde angel said, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"Are you sure the room will contain her?" I asked.

"It will," Dark wrapped an arm around me. "All the windows and doors won't open unless we open them. She won't be able to escape."

"What a relief," Brianna leaned up against the wall and slid down slowly to her knees.

"What is?" I asked.

"She's trapped forever." She replied. "She'll never get out."

"Then I guess it is a relief," I sat next to her. Dark sat next to me and hugged us both suddenly. We all laughed as I tried to pry Dark's arms off of us. Even though, secretly, I never wanted him to let go.

That night, I dreamt that Akari broke free and tried to kill me in an abandoned warehouse, but she had killed Dark first. I awoke in a sweat and tears.

"What's wrong?" Midnight asked me. "I heard you screaming."

"Just a dream is all," I replied, panting.

"You don't look fine," she sat on the edge of my bed and felt my forehead. "You're burning, but it's not sick burning. What was your dream about?"

I sighed and told her. Afterwards, she looked off into space, thinking. "Maybe it was a peak at the future."

"Never!" I sat up, looking her in the eyes. "It couldn't be the future!" my voice trailed off. "Can it?"

"You never know," Dark's twin told me. "But if anything suspicious happens, I'll be there for you. We'll all be."

"Thanks," I laid back down and closed my eyes, but found no sleep.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"This sucks," Akari muttered under her breath and crossed her arms. She couldn't believe they trapped her in a room at the Niwa's house. The blonde couldn't escape no matter if the window or door was open or not. Her twin had sealed her up tight in that confined space.

At least they were nice enough to provide a bed for her, even if it was a small futon, and a bathroom, which was sealed off to the open world as well.

A knock on the door made her look over at it, glaring at the person who entered.

"Are you hungry?" Kosuke popped open the door and walked in, setting the plate of food on the table parallel to the bed. "Emiko's cooking always cheers me up."

"Why are you here?" Akari hissed at him.

"I came to deliver your food, is-"

"No, you didn't," the blonde walked over to the male and spread her wings wide, showing off their white shine. "You came here to talk about something. What is it?"

"Well," Kosuke held up his hands and smiled. "First, you caught me red handed," he sat on the bed, followed by Akari. "Second, I wanted to ask you something."

Akari tilted her head for a second, then sighed and sat next to him. "What is it?"

"Why are you so aggressive all the time?" Kosuke asked and Akari's eyes widened. "You're always harming Ally, Dark, and Midnight. Why is that?"

Akari couldn't find the words in her head. She never was asked this. The angel didn't know what to think or say.

"It is because…" she paused, taking a deep breath. "I've always been kind of jealous of the Niwa clan. They always get better treatment than the Hikari's."

"I see," Kosuke smiled. "Then why don't you be good? Then the Hikari's reputation might go up."

"I have committed myself to a life of getting rid of anyone related to the Niwa clan. Starting with the newest tamer to come in and their other self. Ally is the newest, so I must get her. Midnight is who I want to kill the most." Akari stood up and went over to her plate of food and picked up a bite to eat.

"Why do you hate Midnight the most?" Kosuke asked, trying to get as much information as he can out of the angel.

Akari almost choked on the food in her mouth. She's never told anyone why she hates Midnight.

"Well," she began. "It is because of…" she paused, looking over at the male. "Wait a second."

"What is it?" Kosuke looked at Akari and stood up, her expression making him nervous.

"I can't believe a human like you tried to get information out of me!" she tossed a chair across the room and it hit the wall with a crashing sound. "Especially one related to those insects called the Niwa's!" She pulled out her sword and began to swing it at Kosuke, almost hitting him.

"Wait! That's not it!" Kosuke tried to calm her down, only to get slashed in the upper part of his right arm. He gritted his teeth and placed a hand over his wound. He managed to escape in time to avoid another blow to him.

"Hunny?" Emiko's voice asked as he hit the wall parallel to Akari's room door. "Oh my gosh! What happened?!

"It's fine," Kosuke smiled up at his wife painfully, sweating. His arm hurt so much and he couldn't believe the pain.

"Let me help you," Emiko helped her husband to the living room and set him on the couch. Daisuke was next to him and saw his father's arm.

"Dad! Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," he lied as his wife bandaged his arm. "Akari managed to clip me with her sword."

"It looks more than just a clip." Dark and Krad entered the room. "Akari must have gotten you good."

"You got that right," the black haired man said as Towa placed a wet washcloth on his forehead.

"What information did you get out of Akari?" Krad asked as Emiko put her husband's arm in a sling for now.

"Well…" Kosuke sighed. "She said she hated the Niwa clan because we receive better treatment than the Hikari's. She especially hated the newest tamer and their other self. But she said something about hating Midnight the most, but before she said why, she went on a rampage and hit me in the arm."

"We must keep our guards up, even though she's sealed up. You never know what's going to happen." Dark said.

"Right," Emiko said. "Now, rest dear. You need it."

"Thanks, Emiko," Kosuke said as he closed his eyes and went to sleep.


	42. Chapter 42

It was a few weeks after Akari was sealed in the room and the only accident Dark told me about was that Kosuke tried to get some information out of her and she went on a rampage, cutting his upper arm. He was okay though, thank goodness.

In the past few weeks, Dark, Brianna, Krad, and I went on a few double dates, including a movie, dinner, and now we're going mini golfing. We left Midnight in charge of guarding Akari's room just in case anything happened.

"This is going to be fun!" I said in the passenger seat of Dark's car. Krad and Brianna were sitting in the back. "How about for you guys?"

"I agree fully." Dark said in a voice like silk as he fixed his hat. He looked at me with his purple eyes in a way that made my heart skip a few beats. "I'll agree to anything you say, my love."

I could feel my face get really hot and knew I was turning red. Looking away so no one could see, I said, "So what about you, Brianna? Krad?"

"I think it'll be fun," Brianna replied as I tried to calm down. "How about you, Krad?"

I knew my face had returned to its original color, so I looked back at the blonde male .

"I think it will be fun to go to this miniature golfing. Mostly because I've never been before." Krad said as he looked outside the window.

"We're here!" Dark sang as he pulled into the parking lot. The miniature golf course was shared with a full sized golf course with a practice range. We got out of the thief's car and walked to the entrance. Krad and Brianna were behind Dark and I, so I peeked back at them and almost went 'Aw!' Krad had taken Brianna's hand in his and my friend was red as a cherry.

Suddenly, my hand was grabbed my someone's and I looked around in a hurry. I heard Dark chuckle and looked at him, glaring.

"You don't have to be so defensive!" he laughed. "It was just me taking your hand in mine. Just calm down."

I looked down and he was right: he had my hand in his. I heard Krad and Brianna chuckling and I looked back at them. When we got to the entrance, we paid for one full game of mini golf and we got golf clubs and colored golf balls: Brianna got sky blue, Krad got yellow, Dark got black, and I got a purple one.

"Let's go!" I went to the first hole and we decided to go in alphabetical order each time: I was first, next was Brianna, then Dark, and finally Krad. At the first nine holes, we were kind of competing to get points and to see who would get a hole-in-one, but after that, we were just playing around and having fun.

The thirteenth hole had a small house by the actual course and Dark, being the guy he is, jumped right on top of it. He grabbed my arm and motioned for me to get up. I gave Brianna my camera and told her to take a picture of us. Dark knelt down and spread his wings (good thing no one else was around) and I stood behind him and smiled. When I saw the picture, I laughed. It was like a totem pole.

After we were done, Dark drove us home. It was about five and Emiko was making dinner with the help of Towa and Kosuke.

"How was it?" Emiko asked, taking the meatloaf she was preparing out of the oven.

"Good," I said as the four of us sat down. Dark sat down to the left of me and put his arm around me as Brianna sat by me and Krad sat on her right side. The blonde male put his arm around Brianna and she looked at me. I gave her a discrete thumbs up and we both chuckled.

After dinner, we hung out for a bit until it was time for Dark's next theft. The target this time: The Sacred Heart necklace to be stolen at nine pm. I decided to go with him. I had told my parents I was going mini golfing with Daisuke, Brianna, and Satoshi and was going to have dinner at the Niwa's and have a movie party that might last until whenever, so I might not be home until later.

We went to the alley we decided to go to nearby the museum. Krad had decided to tag along with us and to fly up and put on a 'show'.

"Ready, Dark?" I asked as he took off his black hoodie. I gulped and held back tears: he was wearing the shirt he wore when he got poisoned.

"As ready as I'll ever be tonight. How about you, Krad?" the thief asked his other half.

"Let's just get this over, thief," the blonde spat.

Dark spread his beautiful wings wide and I went out near the crowd to watch Dark. When he disappeared into the building, I gave Krad the signal to say that Dark went in and prepare.

"Look! It's Dark!" I heard someone say and I looked to the sky. I liked closer and knew it wasn't Dark.

"Midnight?!" Krad said, flying up, but I stopped him by the time he almost reached above the buildings.

"Krad!" I said. "Just stay here until I give the signal."

He growled and stayed where he was until I saw the real Dark-my Dark-come out. Once I saw him, I gave the blonde the signal and he went flying towards Dark.

"DARK!" Krad yelled as he almost hit the thief in the chest. A huge battle we planned created a huge scene for the spectators and the camera crews nearby. I smiled: everything was going according to plan.

Until Midnight decided to interfere.

She didn't know this was a plan! I was kind of freaking out at that time. Krad hit her in the leg with his sword and she fell a good ten feet and the planned battle resumed. Midnight must have seen me because she flew right into the alley.

"Are you okay, Midnight?" I asked.

"Yeah," she grunted. "Why was Krad attacking Dark? Wasn't the plan to keep the sadistic one home?"

"Who are you calling sadistic?" Krad said as Dark and him descended into the alley. "I was supposed to attack him. It's part of the plan."

"Plan?"

I'll explain when we get to Daisuke's. For now, just fly home." I told Midnight. She flew as the other three of us walked.

"What happened?" Emiko asked as we entered the Niwa house. More than likely she was referring to Midnight's leg injury.

"We had planned out the entire theft tonight, but Midnight didn't know," Krad said as we all sat on the couch and Towa fetched the first-aid kit.

"What was the plan?" Midnight asked as Towa began to bandage her leg.

"Well, we decided to get Krad back to do what he did before we were separated: attacking Dark at his thefts. So we decided to have him attack Dark without actually hitting him. That's all." I explained.

"Well, why didn't you inform me about it so this wouldn't happen?!" she pointed to her leg.

I sighed. "You would have thought it was a stupid plan."

"No I wouldn't." she said as Towa tied off her leg. "I would have agreed to it, but you decided to go off and have Krad attack Dark."

"Sorry," Dark leaned back, sighing. "We wouldn't do the plan if you would've gotten hurt."

We sat watching the news about Dark's theft for a while, recapping the scene. I remembered that it was late and I needed to get home. Midnight flew me home and it was around ten.

"You're home late," my dad said as I walked in.

"Sorry, dad," I went to the living room and sat next to him. Once I saw the television screen, I gulped.

"What happened?" he pointed to me on the screen by the alley.

"I just wanted to see one of Dark's thefts in person. It took a while to get there. Afterwards, I went to Dai's house and hung out with him until I came home. We were going to have a movie party, but Dark's theft seemed more interesting and I decided to go see it myself." I kind of lied.

"Oh," he sighed. "Well, you should have called. Your mother was worried, but she'll be glad you're okay." He kissed me on the forehead and I went upstairs to my room.

"Almost got busted?" Midnight whispered to me and I nodded, pulling out a t-shirt and sweatpants to wear to bed. After I changed, I got into my bed and quickly fell asleep.

I had no dreams that night.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Akari sat on her bed quietly. Everyone in the house decided to go to Dark's theft that night and no one was put in charge of guarding her. The girl knew very well that she couldn't escape, so what was the use of trying?

Her window rattled a little bit and she looked towards it, ready to pounce at whoever it was. It opened and a man with short dark hair and gasses crawled in.

"Hello, Akari," he began, brushing the dust off his suit. "Sorry to barge in like this."

"Who are you?" Akari sneered at him.

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew," he chuckled. "I'm Kei Hiwatari, Satoshi's adopted father. I am here to set you free."

Akari scoffed. "Good luck with that. I can't leave due to that stupid spell." She sat at the table where her food was and took a bite out of her rice.

"At least they feed you," Kei sat at the opposite side of the angel. "But anyhow, I know how to break through the spell."

Akari stopped chewing and stared at Kei with her yellow eyes. He had a way to get out? She swallowed her bite and then sat back in her chair. "What do you suppose I do with freedom?"

"That's for you to decide," the man said. "But for now, no one is in the house, so this is the perfect time to escape." He stood up and went to the open window. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Akari laughed as Kei held a device to the window. A few bolts of lightning came out from it and showed the force field holding Akari in. It broke the force field into millions of pieces and those pieces disappeared.

"You're free now," Kei said as he crawled out the window. "Now go."

Akari stood on the window sill and took a breath of fresh air. She spread her wings and jumped out of the small room. Her wings caught a powerful wind and lifted her up high into the sky.

To her, the fun was only beginning.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

"How did this happen?!" Krad shouted.

We had just gotten back from Dark's theft, only to find Akari gone. The only evidence was a footprint on the wall near the open window and that's it. Nothing more except for a few white feathers on the ground from Akari.

Krad hit the wall as he slumped down to the floor. He was really upset. "That spell always worked! Who had the idea of leaving no one to guard Akari while we were out?!"

"This footprint," Satoshi began, nervously. "Was created by…Kei Hiwatari!"

"Who?" I asked him. I had been standing by Dark and Midnight the whole time. Krad heard the name and he stood up and went to the blue haired boy.

"My adoptive father." Satoshi said in a voice that sent a chill down my back.

"That…" was all Krad got out before he went to the table and grabbed a chair. He threw it to the wall and punch the wall, creating a hole in it.

"Hey! Stop it!" Dark went over to his other half to try and stop him, only to het punched in the face.

"Dark!" I said as Dark wiped away the blood coming from his nose.

"Krad! Listen to me!" Midnight said as she went over to him. Krad tried to hit her, but she caught his fist in her hand. "It'll be fine. But for now, no one is safe from Akari, especially Ally. We have to make sure nothing happens. I'll keep watch at night while she's sleeping to make sure Akari doesn't come. I know the Amulet of the Heart doesn't just separate two beings from one body. It can also capture people who possess magical abilities. If Akari comes, I can trap her."

"Sounds good." Brianna said next to me.

Krad sighed and pushed his way to his room. He was obviously upset. I was afraid because Akari could attack me at any moment. Dark and I went to the living room where we sat down.

"It's okay, Ally," he told me. "I won't let Akari do anything to you. Ever again."

I wiped away a tear and he brought my head to his chest. Weeping quietly, I felt the thief smooth out my hair with one hand while the other wrapped around my body. It felt great to have someone to care about me in a time like this.

"I'm scared," I told him quietly. Boy, did I sound cheesy right then.

"I know." He replied. "I am too."

After a while, Dark, Krad, and Midnight escorted me home and Midnight stayed awake throughout the night. I couldn't fall asleep either, so I kept thinking about where Akari may have been and if she had either captured me or attacked me, what would she do.

The next morning, I didn't want to go to school, but Midnight said I had to. Dark, Krad, and her were going to be there to protect me anyways. I decided to go, but stayed quiet all day and stared out the window.

At one point near the end of class, I got a major headache and Dark took me to the nurse's office. I sat on the bed as the nurse took my temperature and gave me some aspirin.

"Looks like you don't have a fever, but just to make sure, please stay here until the day ends." The nurse told me as she left me and Dark alone.

"What was it?" the thief asked me.

I stared at him, but smiled. "It was nothing at all. Just a headache." I told him as I took a drink of water.

"No, I know it was something more. What was it?" he knew me too well.

I sighed. "It was a vision. All I saw was Akari attacking you all while I was in immense pain and it looked like I was screaming soundlessly, but I felt no wounds. It was pouring rain and that's all I saw."

"'Immense pain with no wounds?'" Dark repeated. "What do you think that means?"

"No clue. But with you three around, Akari won't be able to hurt me, right?"

He stood up and wrapped his strong arms around me. "I will never ever let Akari touch you again. I promise on my life."

I returned his hug and it lasted for what seemed like forever. The bell rang and as we exited, Midnight and Krad were waiting outside for us. We walked to my house and Midnight went in as I hugged Dark goodbye.

Once I was inside, I went upstairs to take a shower and clear my mind from the vision. When I got out, Midnight was on my bed and I went over to my desk to start my homework.

"Dark called and told me your vision," my pencil stopped dead in its tracks when she said this. "It was only a silly vision is all, not a peek of the future. There is no need to worry okay?" I nodded and continued my homework.

But the vision kept haunting me throughout the past few days.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

"Now where can I go?" Akari asked herself. She was perched on top of the museum of Dark's last theft. With her newfound freedom, she knew exactly what to do, but nowhere to go.

Sighing, she spread her wings and cast a shadow on the vacant street in front of the building. She jumped and her white wings caught an updraft that felt good between her feathers. Akari flew to the one place she could go to.

Brianna's house.

"Hello?" Brianna said as she opened the door. Once she saw Akari, she began to shut the door, but the angel caught it with her toe.

"Can I stay here for a bit?" the angel asked with an obviously fake smile and tone.

"Why would I do that?" Akari's former tamer hissed.

"You are the only one I know who will take me in." Akari tried to smile more, but it was too hard. Her smile disappeared, then she added, "Look, just let me stay here and I will make it as painless as possible, okay?"

Brianna thought for a second. Her former other self, as sadistic as Akari was, staying here while her best friend was the angel's number one target? She didn't want to, but since Akari had no other place to go…

"No," Brianna said firmly. "I will never let you stay here. Ever again."

Akari growled with anger and unsheathed her sword in one fellow swoop. She put it up near Brianna's chest. Brianna froze with fear as Akari stared sinisterly at her.

"You will let me stay here," the angel spread her wings wide.

Brianna gulped and a bead of sweat ran down her forehead. She placed her hand on the tip of the sword and pushed it out of the way and stood up, brushing fake dust off her shirt.

"If you pull stunts like that, then I'll never let you stay," Brianna said.

"So I can stay?" Akari put her sword away.

"On one condition," Brianna began. "You stay hidden from my parents and away from my friends. Got it?"

Akari nodded. "I promise."

But Brianna didn't know that Akari had her fingers crossed behind her back.

That night, Akari sat in the guest bedroom of Brianna's house quietly. She was examining a vile of a dark red liquid in her hand.

"With this, I can-" she was interrupted by Brianna coming in. Akari quickly hid the vile.

"What's that?" the blonde human asked the angel.

"What?" Akari stood up. "I don't have anything."

"I thought I saw something." Brianna said, and then shrugged. "I guess it was my imagination. Good night." With that, Brianna left.

"You think you saw nothing, but you almost got me," Akari pulled out the vile again. She chuckled as she lay on her bed. "This will make everything turn against them."


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The vision I had a few days kept coming back into my mind everywhere I went. I still had no idea what it was about, but it kept on coming back.

It was very early Saturday morning and I sat on my bed, waiting for the sun to come up. I looked at my clock and sighed: it was only four a.m. I knew if I fell asleep, the vision would only come back in a dream. Scanning the room, my eyes fell on Midnight, sound asleep in her bed. Her long purple hair down from its usual ponytail was everywhere and her blanket at her feet. I smiled. She deserved rest since she has been up for the past few nights keeping an eye out to make sure Akari doesn't appear.

I stood up and covered Midnight up with the blanket. Afterwards, I went to the window, opened it up, and sat on the ledge. The cold morning wind blew in my face and sent a chill down my spine.

"It's a little early for a young lady like you to be up, isn't it?" an all too familiar voice said behind me.

I whirled around to find Dark perched on the open ledge next to me. Smiling, I turned my whole body towards him. "It's a little early for a young man like you to be up, isn't it?" I retorted his question back at him.

The thief chuckled and put a hand around me. "Why are you up, Ally?"

My eyes widened and I turned my eyes away from his. I knew if I told him a lie, he would see right through it. Sighing, I looked at him again. "I'm afraid the vision I had the other day would come back. I just don't want it to come true," I paused and tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but failed. "I'm scared on what might be causing me the pain in my vision."

He pulled my head and put it on his chest. "I'll never let Akari near you again," he began to sound like a broken record.

Tears rolled down my eyes and I nestled into his chest a bit more. I wept as he ran his hand through my hair.

I wanted it to be like this forever.

Later that day, Dark and I decided to go to the park to get some fresh air. He wore his usual hat to, of course, get recognized. I wore my black skinny jeans with a white collared shirt and a black jacket. We got an ice cream cone and sat on the bench.

"Honestly," my date began. "I've never heard of someone who had no wounds, but was in immense pain and soundlessly screaming."

"Why not let Emiko, Kosuke, and Daiki look into it?" I asked, taking a lick out of my chocolate cone.

"I asked Emiko, but she said she found nothing yet. She's still looking though," Dark sighed, leaning back and taking a lick of his vanilla cone.

"Okay. Just tell me when you get some legit information on it," I smiled.

"Trust me, you'll be the first to know," he kissed me on the cheek and I felt my face get hot.

That night, I sat at the dinner table with my parents. We decided to have spaghetti tonight. It was quiet until my dad cleared his throat.

"So, how was your day?" he asked me.

"It was fine," I said, taking a drink of my chocolate milk. "I had fun at the park with Dai." I lied a bit with that sentence.

"That's nice," my mother said after she swallowed her last bite of spaghetti. "Have you finished your homework?"

"Before I left to go to the park," I cleaned up dinner. "Oh, that reminds me."

"Yes?" my dad stopped on the way to the living room.

"I'm going with Dai, Brianna, Satoshi, and the Harada twins to Dark's theft tomorrow night if that's fine."

"Well, it's a ten p.m. theft. I guess she can go as long as you're home by midnight." My mother said as she kissed m forehead.

Later I sat in my room having a conversation with Midnight. Dark and Krad flew in to discuss the theft.

"What did you tell your parents?" Dark asked as he stretched beside me.

"I said I was going with Dai, Satoshi, Brianna, and the Harada twins."

"When you'll actually be going with us," Krad said.

I looked down and Dark put his arm around me. "What's up?" the thief asked.

"Akari," I said. "I'm just afraid she'll attack."

"She won't get you or any of us. I promise on my life," Midnight said as she put her hand out faced down.

"Me too," Dark put his free hand on his sister's.

"Count me in," Krad put his hand on top of Dark's.

I smiled and put my hand on the top of the stack.

"One, two, three!" Midnight began.

"To protecting Ally!" everyone announced as they threw their hands up.

I actually shouted, "To protecting me." I was so glad I had three people on my side to protect me from any danger.

What I didn't know was that the greatest danger for me was only waiting around the corner.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The next night was Dark's theft. His next target was the Bow of the Kings, a legendary bow and arrow set. Once he got it, we had to get back to the Niwa's quickly just in case Akari shows up. We would stay in the alley where we hide for the theft until everyone left so no innocent bystanders could get hurt.

"Looks like the coast is clear," Midnight said in a quiet whisper as she looked out. We saw no one else around, so we began to walk cautiously back to the Niwa household.

We were only about a few blocks away when it happened.

A white winged figure landed in front of us. We all stopped dead as it walked into the light.

"Nice to see the gang all together." Akari said.

"Akari!" everyone said. Dark positioned his body in front of me in a fighting stance. Midnight and Krad also went into fighting stances on either side of Dark.

"What do you want, Akari?" Dark hissed.

"Oh, I just wanted to enjoy my freedom by saying hi to my old friends," Akai smirked.

"Midnight," I heard Krad whisper. "Do you have the Amulet?"

I saw Midnight nod and they returned their attention to the angel in front of us.

"Well, why don't we catch up?" Akari took a step towards me.

Dark pounced at Akari and punched her in the nose. I winced at the cracking sound it produced. Akari looked at me and wiped the blood away from her nose.

"Ally," Midnight told me. "Run!"

I ran into the nearest alley with Dark right behind me. Krad and Midnight didn't hold Akari off for long because seconds later, she was right in front of me. Dark ran to her, but she backhanded him into the alley wall.

"NO!" I screamed as he hit the floor. I knew he was faking being knocked out. Akari came up to me, grabbed me by the neck, and thrusted me into the wall parallel to Dark.

"Now," she pulled out a vile of dark red liquid. "You will drink this."

I saw Midnight and Krad run up to the alley opening and run to help Dark. Looking back at Akari, I smirked at her.

"I will…never drink anything you tell me to drink. Ever." I said.

Akari chuckled. "Well then," she pulled out her sword and put it near Dark's neck. "What will you do? In order to save him, you must drink what's in the vile. If you don't, Dark will die."

I was not stuck between a rock and a hard place. I didn't want to drink what was in the vile, but if it was to save Dark, I had to.

I sighed. "Fine," I said. "I'll drink what you have."

Akari smiled, put me down, and tossed the vile at me.

"Don't do it!" Midnight yelled as she and Krad jumped on Akari. "Run!"

"If I don't, Dark will die!" I yelled as I took the top off of the vile and put it up to my nose. It smelled weird, but I had to drink it.

"Don't…" I heard Dark painfully say. I looked at him.

"I can't let you die," I said. With that, I drank the red liquid. It tasted irony and bad as it slid down my throat. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then it happened.

My body was in flames and I was soundlessly screaming. It was just like my vision! It felt like my body was being torn apart by an unseen force.

I felt someone hold my body and I grabbed onto their shirt. My nails extended and dug into the person's body. In my mouth, I felt fangs grow. I couldn't believe this.

I was turning into a monster.

After a while, the pain stopped and I fell to the ground. I lifted myself up painfully and looked at the person before I fell over and passed out.

The person was Dark.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Dark looked at Ally with pain-filled eyes as she looked up at him. Her eyes were yellow and cat-like. She fell to the side and he picked her body up. He leaned her up against the wall, laying her left arm across her torso.

"What did you do to her, Akari?!" Midnight landed a kick in Akari's stomach and it sent her flying into the wall.

"She's changed," Midnight's other half said. "She'll never be the same again."

"What?" Dark pulled Akari by her shirt. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!"

"She's now a vampire and can't live without the blood of her prey!" the angel laughed.

"What?!" Krad asked.

"She had drunk my vampire blood mixed with someone else's."

"Whose blood was it?!" Dark slammed her on the wall again. "WHOSE BLOOD?!"

"Yours, thief," she said.

Suddenly, Dark's world began to collapse on him. Ally had chosen to drink his and Akari's blood to save him? He loosened his grip on Akari's collar loose

"Of course, she can still eat regular people food, but has to drink Dark's blood in order to survive. She can extend her nails to fight and has remarkable powers of regeneration!" Akari managed to grab her sword and hit his shoulder. Dark staggered away, holding his injured shoulder. Midnight helped him as Krad pulled out his sword.

"You-!" but before Krad could finish, he was already going all out on his sister.

"Are you okay?" Midnight asked.

"Yeah," Dark said. "I just zoned out for a bit."

"I'll try to send Ally a vision-like dream to tell her what's going on." Midnight closed her eyes and used her powers to tell Ally what was happening. She opened them a bit later. "I can't get through to her! It's like there's some interference."

Akari stabbed Krad in the leg, but that didn't stop him from fighting his sister. In the middle of their fight, Midnight and Dark joined in the fight, but the battle paused when something sounded like a moan.

"Akari…" the voice sounded weak and pain-filled. Everyone looked over at Ally.

She was awake and standing up, hand on her side. She looked up at Akari and everyone gasped except Dark.

Her eyes were golden and cat-like.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

I held on to the alley wall to steady myself while I stood up. My body ached all over, but not as bad as before. My head felt dizzy as heck, but it was not too dizzy so that I could understand what was going on. It began to rain heavily, so when I looked up at the four, my hair was in my right eye.

"Akari…" I sounded weak and my voice was filled with pain, but it still got out. "Whatever you're planning, I'll never ever let you go through with it!" I elongated my nails on both hands painfully, but I didn't care. It was to save Dark.

"Oh, really?" she smirked as she slashed Dark on his forehead and it really made me angry. I launched myself at her with lightning speed and slashed her arm.

She elongated her nails and we now got into a huge fight. Akari slashed my side, but I returned with a kick in her stomach. After she recovered, she sliced from the top of my eyebrow to the bottom of my right eye. I knew my eye was too damaged for even my new vampire powers to recover. After a while, I managed to pin Akari up on the wall with one of my hands and I retracted the other hand's nails.

"Midnight!" I yelled. "Get the Amulet and trap Akari!"

"Got it!" she replied.

"You really think it's that easy?" Akari thrusted her sword into my side. I tasted blood in my mouth and placed my free hand on my wound. It felt horrible.

"What did I drink?" I groaned.

"My vampire blood mixed with Dark's blood," Akari sneered. "You can't live without the blood of your prey now. Your prey is Dark!" she laughed.

I spit out the blood in my mouth and looked at Midnight. She held the Amulet and was saying a spell. Once it was done, the Amulet glew and sent beams of magic around Akari. I retracted my nails around her and she was sucked into the Amulet.

"I will be back!" Akari said as she was sucked in to the necklace.

I stood straight up and looked at everyone. They were wounded, but not too bad. Suddenly, I felt lightheaded and fell to the ground.

"No!" Dark ran over to me. He lifted my body like he did when Akari attacked while he was away. "Ally, stay with me." He took some of his blood from his forehead wound and held it to my mouth. I pushed his hand away.

"I…" I whispered painfully. "…can't…" I looked up at him as a tear ran down my cheek. "I'm…sorry…"

I then let my head hang as I passed out.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Dark just held Ally in his arms with his head down, bangs covering his eyes. Midnight and Krad looked at him wearing sad looks upon their faces. They knew Dark's heart was torn in half.

"I can't…" Dark's voice sounded soft. He pulled Ally's limp body closer to his. "…Let her die!"

"What can we do?" Midnight asked, kneeling by her twin. "If we wait too long, it'll be too late. Even if she is now a vampire."

Krad limped over to them. "Maybe Emiko can help. She's good with medical stuff."

Dark looked at Ally's face and pushed her wet hair out of her face, revealing her wounded eye. He stood up and spread his wings wide. Midnight and Krad did the same and the three took off. The male thief held his one true love in his arms close to his body. He didn't care if the blood from her side wound soaked through his shirt. She needed help immediately. When the three arrived at the house, they landed in the front yard and ran in.

"Emiko!" Dark yelled. "We need help now!" Emiko and Towa came from the living room to the lobby.

"What's the meaning of-!" the woman began, but stopped when she saw the three. "What happened?!" she and the silver haired maid went over to them.

"Akari attacked." Midnight said as Emiko and Towa examined Ally's wounds. Daisuke, Satoshi, Kosuke, and Daiki all came over too. "We tried to fight her off, but she forced Ally to drink a vile of her vampire blood mixed with Dark's."

"Akari was a vampire?" Daisuke said.

"I know. But there is a reason she mixed Dark's blood with hers. Dark is her prey now." Krad explained.

"That means Ally can't live without Dark's blood." Towa said.

"Well, we must get her treated. Everyone!" Emiko announced. "We need to help out Ally! Dark, take her to the guest room and put her on the bed. Towa, get a bowl of hot water and towels. Dad and Kosuke, help me get the supplies."

Everyone did as they were told. As Dark placed Ally on the bed, Emiko, Daiki, and Kosuke came in with bandages and more in their hands. Towa came in soon after with the water. All the while, Dark never let Ally's hand go.

"Dark, you need to leave now. We have to help Ally." Towa said.

Dark nodded sadly and walked out. Midnight and Krad were in the living room. Satoshi helped Krad with his minor wounds as Daisuke helped Midnight. The thief brushed his bangs out of the way and hit the cut on his forehead. He winced and looked at his hand, which was now covered in Ally's and his blood.

"That's a pretty bad wound, Dark," Daisuke said. Dark just nodded. "How's about you come here and I'll help you." Dark silently sat next to Daisuke as the redhead finished up with Midnight's wounds.

After Daisuke helped Dark and the thief changed clothes to a white t-shirt and black shorts, he retreated to the roof of the house. The image of Ally hurt kept haunting him. He looked sadly at the sky and watched the stars. A shooting star passed by and he closed his eyes.

"Please don't let he die." He whispered.

"So that's why you're so upset," Krad's voice startled him. The blonde crawled up and sat next to him. He wore a black t-shirt and white pants, the opposite of Dark. "Emiko asked Midnight to call Ally's parents and have them come over. They just got here and Midnight is explaining everything to them now. I just came up here to say hi."

"Yeah." Dark replied. "I think it was time that Ally's parents know the truth since she is too injured to come up with a good lie."

"Right." Krad stretched out and laid back. "With her eye like that, Ally would have to tell the truth."

Dark laid back too. "Still, how long do you think she could go without my blood?"

Krad looked at him. "I don't know, but with what I hear, she could go up to two weeks without it. She can refuse, but she might die. If anything happens to you, she'll die. No matter what, without your blood, she'll die."

Dark gulped loudly. "What about her eye?"

"I eavesdropped on the guys helping Ally and they said her eye is permanently damaged. Her new regeneration powers can't heal it. She's blind in her right eye for good."

"At least she's alive though," Dark felt a tear run down his cheek and wiped it quickly away.

"I never knew the famous Phantom Thief Dark Mousy had a soft side!" Krad said when he saw the tear. Dark hit his arm and Krad winced. The both laughed.

"Dark, Krad," Midnight called. "Emiko said they were done with Ally. Her parents are in there now with Emiko. Come on in and I'll explain the rest."

Both guys came in to the house and into the living room where Daisuke, Kosuke, Towa, Daiki, Satoshi, and Wiz were. They sat down and Wiz jumped into Dark's lap.

"Okay, I agreed that I and Krad will go in after the other three now in there. We thought Dark might want to see Ally alone after us."

"I want to see her." Dark said. He stood up and walked toward the hallway.

"You have to wait in here." Kosuke explained. "We think she doesn't need too many people crowding her at once."

Dark looked at them, and then at his feet, dug his nails into the wall he held onto, and clenched his free hand into a ball. He sighed, then returned to his previous spot on the couch.

There was a long painful wait for him coming up.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

My body felt heavy and I could barely move. I heard my own heartbeat pounding in my ears and my breath came out in small pants. I felt soft fabric and a cool breeze like a fan. Slowly, I opened my eyes. My right one, however was covered by bandages. I looked around and saw I was in the Niwa house's guest room.

"Ally! Thank goodness you're okay!" I heard my mother's voice. I turned my head and saw her with my dad and Emiko.

"Mom…" I asked painfully. "…Dad…"

"When Midnight called, we came right over. She told us everything." My dad explained.

I looked at the ceiling fan and sighed painfully. "…even about…" it was hard talking like this.

"Yes, even about you and Dark," he said. I looked at Emiko and saw by the look on her face that she was the one who told Midnight to call them.

"Well," Emiko began. "The good news is you are alive."

"…What's the bad news?" I asked.

"You are blind in your right eye forever. Even your vampire powers were too weak then to heal it. Your other wounds will heal up in about a week."

I looked up again. I shut my eye for a bit and then opened it again. "Thank you," I said.

"I'm really glad you're okay, hunny," my mother told me. "But why didn't you tell us everything before?"

"I thought you were going to be mad because…" I paused for a breath. "I was in love with a thief and his sister was my other self."

"If you told us, we wouldn't be mad," my father said. "But you have to tell us the truth next time."

"Promise." I replied.

"Well, there are more people waiting to see you. We'll be going now," Emiko said as she stood up. My parents followed her out. For a moment, I was alone.

I thought about my new vampire powers and how different my life would be now. It made me think of Dark being my prey and my chest felt even heavier than before. My love was the only one who kept me alive.

Now he literally has to keep me alive.

The door opened. Midnight and Krad entered and sat in the chairs. I smiled weakly at them and Midnight smiled back.

"Nice to see you alive," Midnight said.

I chuckled. "Nice to be alive."

"How are you feeling?" Krad asked.

"Barely okay," I truthfully said. "What about your wounds?"

"They'll heal in a while." Midnight's smile faded. "Now, about Akari…"

"Where is she?!" I sat up quickly, alert, but my side hurt badly. I grabbed it and leaned over, groaning in pain.

"Ally!" Krad pushed my shoulders back and I laid down."You have to lie down and rest!"

I nodded and sighed painfully. "What's this about Akari?"

Midnight held p the Amulet. "She's forever stuck in here. Just in case, I'll wear it always."

I smiled. "At least she's gone."

We talked for a while after that and it was calming for me to have a normal conversation with someone since Akari escaped from the room. Now she's locked up forever.

"Well, there's someone who desperately wants to talk to you. We should be going now." Krad stood up and left.

"He'll be right in." Midnight left too and I knew who they were talking about. I looked out the window and watched the rain fall. Maybe that's why I was so cold and wet.

The door opened and I looked at the person and smiled. It was my love, Dark.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

"Hey, Ally," Dark said in his sweet voice. I felt my heart skip a beat and smiled back.

"Hey," I replied as he sat in the chair by my bed.

He sighed and looked at the bandage around my eye with a disturbed look. I knew he blamed himself, but I knew it wasn't his fault.

"Do not blame yourself for this. I chose to drink the blood and become a vampire." I assured him.

"I know, but I still blame myself for being so sure Akari wouldn't hurt you and she did." He smiled fakely. "It still haunts me that Akari keeps attacking."

I looked at my hand. With a sigh, I extended the nail on my pointer finger. I looked back at the purple haired male next to me and smiled.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Not really, but I do have this really weird feeling in my stomach." I said.

He held out his hand. "I don't mean regular hungry. Can I borrow your nail?"

He took my hand. I had no idea what he was doing. Suddenly, he cut his own wrist with my nail.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"You need to be fed. I heard you need to control your vampire self when drinking blood or else you may kill your prey."

I retracted my nail and took a deep breath. The sight of his blood dripping off his wrist alone made me drool uncontrollably. The smell only made it worse. He held his wrist to my face and I took a deep breath. His scent was unbearable.

I took a hold of his wrist and put my lips to his wound. Once the blood hit my tongue, it was like I was in heaven. My tongue lapped up his blood quickly as I gulped down each mouthful, trying not to choke.

"Ally," Dark's voice said. I forcefully parted my lips with his wound and looked up at him. His eyes told me I had drank enough of his blood to make him dizzy.

"Sorry," I let go of his wrist and noticed I his other hand he held bandages. As he wrapped his wrist up, I laid back a bit and sighed.

"Well, it looks like a bit of color returned to your face." Dark told me and I smiled at him.

I looked away and closed my eyes. In my heart, I wanted to tell him I loved him, but my mind said not to. I decided what to do and I looked at him.

"I've been meaning to tell you something, Dark," I said.

"Yes?"

I gulped. "I…" I began, but paused.

"I'm listening." He said.

"I l-" I gulped and then looked straight at his eyes. "I love you, Dark Mousy!"

It was silent for a while. I closed my eyes. 'I'm such an idiot!' I thought to myself. 'I bet he only likes me and has another true love besides me!'

A strong pair of arms wrapped around me and snapped out of my thought. I opened my eyes and saw Dark hugging me. I hugged him back, confused.

"I love you too," he said. "I already knew you did, but waited for a long time to hear it."

I pushed him back some and looked in his amethyst eyes. My heart pounded and I leaned in. Closing m eyes, I planted my lips on his. I felt him kiss back and it felt even more like heaven than the blood.

After a while, we broke away for a breath and I lay back down. Dark stroked my cheek as my eyelids felt heavy.

"Get some rest," Dark told me. "Sweetheart."

Smiling, I drifted off into a world of fantasy.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 52

Dark brushed Ally's cheek until she fell asleep. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He thought about everything happening in the past few months. He was poisoned, injured, and now he now loved a vampire.

He thought of Ally with his eyes closed. The thief loved her so much and would give his life in order to protect the one he loved. Dark glanced down at the vampire's bandaged eye and ran his hand softly over it. In his mind, he blamed himself for everything and wished he had protected her better, but his heart told him that what Ally had done was her choice, not his.

A knock on the door made the thief jump. He saw Midnight and Brianna enter.

"Oh my! Ally!" Brianna exclaimed at the sight of her best friend. "What happened?" the blonde went over and sat next to Dark.

"Akari got to us and made Ally drink some of her blood mixed with mine." Dark said.

"B-b-blood?!" Brianna stuttered. "Why?"

"Akari was a vampire," Midnight said. "If Ally drank her blood, she becomes a vampire."

"But why Dark's blood?"

Midnight and Dark exchanged looks, then both sighed.

"In order for Ally to live now, she must drink the blood of her prey." Midnight explained.

"In short," Dark began. "It means that whoever had their blood mixed with the vampire's is the prey." He unwrapped the bandage on his wrist to show the two the wound Ally drank out of. "She fed before falling asleep."

Brianna looked tearfully at her sleeping friend. "What happened after she became a vampire?"

"She passed out for a bit," Midnight sat down next to the blonde. "And when she came to, she fought Akari and got injured like this. She almost died, but we got her home before she did and Emiko stitched her wounds up. Her eye got injured to the point that even her vampire healing powers couldn't repair, so she is blind in her right eye forever."

It was quiet in the room for a while. The only sound was Ally's slightly heavy breathing as she slept. Dark swept her brunette hair out of her face when it fell into it.

"So where's Akari now?" Brianna asked nervously.

Midnight pointed to the Amulet around her neck. "When Ally trapped her against a wall, I got it out and sucked her in. She will not get out anytime soon."

"Great," the blonde sighed and looked over to Dark. "How much did she have to have for her first time feeding?"

"She needed to have enough so she could have control. Although it did make me a bit dizzy," he chuckled.

"At least everyone's alive and safe," Brianna exclaimed.

"For now," Midnight said. Dark and Brianna looked at her. "I sense something much more threatening than Akari alone. We have to keep our guards up."

"What is the meaning of 'more threatening'?" Dark asked, almost standing up.

"I don't know, but I do have an uneasy feeling and a tiny vision of something or someone in the ocean near here and that's all."

It was silent again. Ally's breathing got a bit heavier and Dark now was worried sick about her well-being. He needed to everything he could to keep her safe. No matter what.

The silence was quickly broken when Ally sat up quickly, wide awake, rapidly breathing.

"Ally?! What's wrong?!" Dark put his face near hers, hands on her shoulders.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

(Note: this happens while I'm asleep. I'm going back a bit to say why I'm breathing like that.)

I awoke to complete darkness. My clothes had changed from rags to a long elegant pink and purple dress with sleeves reaching my elbows and openly flowed to my mid-forearm. My hair was in a ponytail and I couldn't see out of my right eye.

A light flashed and I shielded my eyes. When it dimmed, a man with short brown hair stood in front of me. He wore a white button up shirt with a gold necklace and gold belt. His pants were black and so were his shoes. The purple coat he wore had a popped collar and rolled up light purple sleeves and a red inner lining.

"Sophia," he said in a sweet voice as he grabbed my hands and held them to his chest. "I can't believe you're finally back!"

"Who are you?" I demanded, quickly swatting his hands away from mine. "Where am I?"

"Sophia, dear…" he cradled my cheek. "It's me."

Swatting his hand away again, I turned and ran from him. Who was Sophia?! Where am I? Who exactly is that man and why is he after me?! All those questions ran through my head, including one more important than the others.

Where the heck was Dark?!

"Ally!" I heard Dark cry out to me. I stopped and looked around me. He was to my left, reaching his hand out to me. Immediately, I ran for it, outstretching my hand as well. I grabbed his hand and he began to pull me into his embrace, but stopped.

"Dark?!" I asked worryingly, looking into his amethyst eyes. They looked pain filled and unusual. My eyes trailed slowly down to his chest and gasped loudly, backing away from my love, tears falling from my eyes. My hands covered my mouth to prevent myself from screaming out loud.

The man had stabbed Dark in his back. Dark fell forward, hitting the ground with a lifeless thud.

"No!" I cried. "DARK!"

"Now, where were we, my Sophia?" the man walked towards me, stepping over Dark's body.

"Get away!" I backed up. "No. Stay back! GET AWAY!"

My eyes shot open and I sat up, panting like crazy. I still had no idea where I was or who that man was. My vision was partly blurred and tears streamed down my cheeks.

I felt a pair of strong hands on my shoulders. "Ally?! What's wrong?!" a voice rang through my ears.

I shook my head and backed away from the person. My hand shot up and I extended my fingernails to their throat. My eyes were blurred with tears and I couldn't see them at all.

"Get away from me!" I yelled. I heard a door open and the sound of a few people coming in. "I don't know who you are or who this 'Sophia' character is, but I know I'm not her!"

"Ally! What are you doing?!" the voice said again.

Then it hit me. The person called me "Ally", not "Sophia". I used my other hand to wipe away the tears from my eye and looked at the person. I retracted my fingernails and stared at him for a moment before falling into his arms, bawling like crazy.

"I'm so glad you're alive, Dark!" I cried out.

He wrapped his strong arms around me and pulled me closer. "And I'm glad you're alive, too, sweetheart."

I looked up at his eyes and he looked back with soft amethyst eyes. I just loved his eyes so much. Without thinking, I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to his. He pressed harder and hugged me closer.

When I realized other people were around by the sound of gasps, I broke out kiss and blushed hard. After a bit, a sudden pain in my side made me wince and bend over in pain, clutching my stomach.

"Ally!" Dark put his hand on my back. "What is it?"

"Sudden pain…" I hissed. "…in my side…"

I didn't notice Emiko coming over and lift my shirt partly. "Sure enough, when she sat up, she reopened her side wound. Towa, go get fresh bandages, a bowl of water, and some towels."

"You got it!" I heard Towa's voice say before she left.

Both Dark and Emiko helped me lay back down. Dark sat down on the chair and never let go of my hand as Emiko and Towa worked on my side. Meanwhile, I noticed who else was in the room: Brianna was there and so was Midnight and Krad. I was guessing everyone else was in the living room. I winced as Emiko used a wet towel to wash my cut and I tightened my grip on Dark's hand.

"It's okay," my love told me. I looked up at him and smiled. He always knew what to say during times like this.

"And… we're done!" Emiko said as she tied off the bandage. I slowly sat up and let my shirt fall over my side. "Thanks, Emiko," I said.

"Not a problem!" she smiled back.

My stomach growled just then. It was just regular hungry, but I looked at Dark and he held up his wrist I fed from earlier. Sighing, I put my hand on his and lowered his hand. "It's just regular food hungry, not vampire hungry."

"Oh," he smiled sweetly and I almost fainted from the sight of it.

"Well, it is about dinnertime, so everyone wash up. Dark, please help Ally out of bed and to the living room." With that, everyone left behind Emiko.

Dark held out his hand and I took it willingly. He lifted me to my feet, but I almost fell due to lack of balance. Luckly, just as I was about to go face first into the carpeted floor, Dark caught me.

"You're such a klutz," he chuckled.

"Oh, shut up, womanizer." I chuckled back.

He straightened me up and we were looking face to face now. No one around. The thief then wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his warm loving embrace. I wish it never ended.

"You know very well that there is only one girl in this world for me," his whispered in my ear. "And it's you." I pulled away enough to look in his eyes. They were so deep that I needed a map to navigate myself through it.

He cradled me cheek and pulled me into the best kiss of my life. It shot chills down my spine and warmed my soul. It felt like fireworks on the Fourth of July in America.

He pulled away and put my arm around his shoulder. "Let's get going, my love."

"Yeah," I agreed and he helped me to the living room, where everyone was waiting.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 54

When we arrived in the living room, Emiko and Towa were already making ramen noodles and green tea for dinner. Daisuke, Satoshi, Krad, Midnight, and Brianna were all on the couch while my parents, Kosuke, and Daiki were at the dining table.

"It's good to see you're well, hunny," my mother came over and placed a kiss on my forehead. "How are you?"

"Much better than earlier." I replied as Dark helped me sit down my Brianna. The thief sat on the other side of me and Krad was sitting on the other side of Brianna. The blonde man had his arm draped over my friend's shoulders and her face was red.

Obviously, something had happened when I was in the bedroom and Dark was the only other one in there. I decided on asking her later.

I winced when a slight pain hit my eye and my fingertips brushed over it. Dark noticed and rubbed my back as it vanished.

"So what was the whole 'Sophia' business about?" Krad asked.

Sighing, I motioned discretely for Dark's hand and he took it. "Well, I was surrounded by darkness in a fancy gown when a man appeared and said I was Sophia. I ran until Dark appeared and reached his hand for me. When I took it, he pulled me toward him, but …stopped…" I paused, squeezing Dark's hand harder than I did when Emiko fixed my wound.

"Why did he stop?" Daisuke asked.

"…the man… had stabbed him in the back and Dark fell forward…" I stopped when a tear fell from my eye and I couldn't go on.

"He fell forward…" Midnight closed her eyes and concentrated for a minute, then reopened them. "…dead. The man came toward you and you backed away, crying out to stay back."

"How did you-?" I began, but remembered. "Mind reading, huh?"

"Yeah." She replied.

Dark pulled me closer to him. "No matter what, I will not die. I will always be here for you, my love."

I closed my eyes and snuggled into his chest more and he wrapped his arm around me. A moment passed when Emiko called us for dinner. I stayed where I was while Dark brought me my ramen and tea.

(AN: I won't bug you all with the boring details of dinner. Sorry if you wanted to hear. *sweatdrop*)

After the dinner, we all stayed in the living room and talked for a bit. At about eight, my parents left to go back home and Dark helped me to the bedroom. Everyone else joined in the small room. Dark, Brianna, and Emiko sat in the three seats while the rest stood up.

"So, who is this person you saw in your dream?" Daiki asked.

"I don't know." I said. "He kept calling me 'Sophia' and said I was back. He looked about in his late twenty's and had short brown hair and an outfit that looked like something a vampire would wear."

"Weird," Midnight said. "When I read your mind, that's exactly what I saw. I saw the very same man in a very brief vision I had while you were passed out."

"So what does that mean?" Dark asked. I brushed my hand across his and he looked at me. I smiled as he looked at my waiting hand and he took it in his.

"It means that we shouldn't let our guard down. Ever," Satoshi said after a quiet silence. "Ally is in danger at all times."

I nodded and yawned. Dark noticed and waved his hand to everyone and they left.

"I'll do some research tomorrow on vampire history to see if anyone fits the man's description." Emiko said as she closed the door.

I lay down and my eyelids grew heavy. Dark placed his hand on my cheek and smiled sweetly at me.

"Get some rest now, my Beloved Vampire." He said.

Smiling, I replied, "Good night, my Beloved Thief."


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

After a few nights at the Niwa's house and away from school, I was allowed to go home. I still had to be careful not to reopen any wounds, but for the most part, my vampire powers had healed them enough the first two days.

When I got home, I thought about Brianna's expression I noticed the first night at Dark's home. Almost immediately, I grabbed my cell phone when I got in my room and flipped it open, highlighted Briana's number, and began to type.

'Hey. It's me. What happened the other night between you and Krad?' I sent. After I changed into a purple t-shirt and grey sweatpants, my phone rang and I snatched it up lightning fast.

"I love this vampire speed." I told myself as I read the message.

'We, uh… can I call you about it?' it said. As fast as I could, I typed my reply.

'Sure.' I replied. In the matter of a few minutes, my phone rang. I answered with the traditional "Hello?"

"Hey!" Brianna's voice sounded normal.

"So what happened between you and Krad?" I asked, sitting cross legged on my bed.

"Well, when Dark was in the room visiting with you, Krad sort of… kissed me."

"You mean on the cheek, right?" I asked. Krad didn't seem like the type to kiss people on the lips, unlike Dark.

"No." came her reply. "When I got to the Niwa's house, Krad was there and when I greeted him, he bent down and kissed me on the lips. It surprised even me."

"No way!" I retorted. "That's the way that a boy tells a girl he loves her without words!"

"I know." She sighed.

"Oh, I almost forgot! I have to take a shower now. I'll text you later!" I said.

"Same to you. Bye!" she hung up the phone after that.

I hung mine up too and sighed, falling back on my bed. I watched the ceiling fan spin in an endless circle. Sighing I grabbed my phone and looked at the pictures on it. There was of me and Brianna, Daisuke, Satoshi, Riku, and Risa after the separation rituals. What struck me as surprising was the fact in the background was Dark, Krad, and Midnight were smiling at the camera. They had hats on to hide their hair so no one recognized them.

I looked at me and sighed deeper. It was me before becoming a vampire. My eyes were normal and nothing was out of the ordinary. In the mirror of my room I saw a reflection of a different girl. There was a faint scar across my right eye now and that eye was partly discolored due to me being blind. Looking at my fingernails, I extended them and looked in the mirror once again. My eyes were now yellow and slit down the middle like a cats. I let a tear slid down my cheek.

"What's wrong?" Dark's voice said from behind. I turned quickly around, nails extended, ready to fight. The purple haired boy laughed and sat next to me. "I love it when you're startled!"

"You know that you can come in through the front door now?" I asked, returning my fingernails to their original shape.

"I know," he said. "Are you thirsty?"

"A little, but it's normal thirsty." I lied.

"I know when you're lying," he told me in his serious tone.

"I know," I said, standing up. "Let me go wash my face first. I haven't washed it for a while now."

"Okay." Dark took my hand and placed a kiss on it. "I await your return."

I smiled as I left the room. When I got into the bathroom, I shut and locked the door and turned the water on in the sink. I splashed it on my face to let my face cool down and wipe the dirt away. After a bit, I looked in the mirror and saw my eyes were yellow again.

That was when it struck me like a lightning bolt.

A major headache consumed my entire mind and my side ached again. Groaning, I bent over and placed my hands on either side of the sink to hold me up. I groaned louder as I placed a hand on my forehead and one on my side. I backed into the wall behind me, knocking some bottles onto the ground. My knees gave out and I fell, joining the bottles on the floor. I closed my eyes and saw the man in my dream again. He was standing over the body of Dark and coming closer to me. He kept saying 'Sophia' over and over.

A knock came not too long after. "Ally?! Are you okay?" Dark's voice rang loudly in my ears. My parent's voices came not too long after Dark's.

"What's going on, Dark? How'd you get here?" my father called.

"I came in through the window to check up on her and she excused herself to wash her face. After a bit, I heard stuff falling in there and came to see what it was." Dark explained.

I heard the doorknob jiggle. "It's locked! How are we supposed to get in now?" my mother cried.

When I could, I painfully scooted myself over to the door and unlocked it. After the click, I leaned back up on the wall and let the three enter. Dark was the first one in, no surprise.

"Ally!" he called. I opened my good eye and saw he was kneeling by me. He felt my forehead and retracted his hand almost immediately. "She's burning up!"

"Get her to her bed now!" my father said as Dark picked me up bridal style. My parents ran downstairs to grab some things as Dark placed me in my bed.

"Ally, if you can hear me, grab my hand." He placed his hand near mine. I grabbed it just as another painful headache washed over me. A scream ripped out of my throat as Dark put his hands on my shoulders to keep me down.

My parents came back into my room, but I didn't notice until I heard their voices.

"How is she?" my mother's shrill voice cried.

"She's responsive, but another headache came over her. I'm trying to hold her down until the pain subsides," Dark's voice said.

The last thing I saw before passing out from the extensive pain and exhaustion was Dark's amethyst eyes filled with worry and sadness.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

When I came to, my head ached and my side hurt. I opened my eyes and saw my parents sitting there and Dark next to me. Emiko was there too. I felt a wet cool washcloth on my head.

"What happened?" I groaned.

"You passed out," my mother said. "You were in pain and we helped you."

"Thanks." I smiled.

"Can we talk with her in private?" Emiko asked.

"You know that I'm fine." I told them when y door shut behind my parents.

"I know, but that headache was more than just a normal one." He said.

"I did some research and found that when you're vampire thirsty and you let it go for so long, you'll have an attack inside you from thirst and you'll pass out. In some cases, your side will hurt too."

"Like mine did today." I said. "I also saw something!"

"What?" Dark asked.

"I saw that man again. He was standing over Dark's body and kept coming nearer, calling out 'Sophia'." I said.

"Like I said earlier, I'm not going to die. You'll always be safe." The purple haired boy told me.

"You're thirsty, so you need to drink. Dark?" Emiko said.

Dark unwrapped the bandage on his wrist from my previous feed. I extended my fingernail and he slit his wrist. Again, the smell of his blood sent me over the edge. With m vampire speed, I took his arm and immediately began to drink his blood. When I knew I was done, I forcefully let go and he wrapped the wound up.

"Thanks," I told him.

"Well, I also found more on that man." Emiko said and we looked at her. She shuffled through her papers she had with her. "He is about twenty-three, but I suspect him to be much older. He is looking for his old love, Sophia." She held up a picture of her and I gasped. She looked exactly like me. "She left him a long time ago for an unknown reason and she passed away one year ago. He doesn't know because he's still searching for her."

I gulped. This was too much information to process I had to sit up. "But, and I know this is crazy, why has he chosen to appear to us now and not a few months ago?"

"I don't know, but we'll have to wait to see what happens later. For now, go take a shower and tomorrow you'll return to school. You're excuse will be that you were out of town." Emiko said as she and Dark stood up. "Let's get going."

"Okay." Dark began to follow slowly behind her, but stopped when she went down the stairs. He came quickly back to me in his hot thief-like way and placed a quick kiss on my lips. "I'll see you later, my Beloved Vampire."

"You too, my Beloved Thief." I replied as he left.

That night, I couldn't sleep too well, or else the man would come back. Midnight came by earlier that day to check up on me before I went to bed.

"What's up?" Dark said as he came into my room through the window.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Then why can't you sleep?" he asked as he sat on the edge of my bed.

"I'm afraid that man will come back." I said. "I don't want to see him again over your body."

"He won't. As long as I live, he won't get near you. I promise." He kissed my forehead. "Now get some rest." I smiled at him and closed my eyes. It was not one hour later that I fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up to the sun shining in my room. I followed the beam to the floor where a note laid with a black feather. I got out of bed and snatched both items up and immediately read the note.

It said:

"To my Beloved Vampire Ally,

You are the best thing in my life and hope you don't leave me. I love you so very much. You are the Thief of My Heart and I am the Thief of Your Heart.

Love, Phantom Thief Dark Mousy

a.k.a. Your one and only true love."


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

A few months passed and I had gotten used to my life as a vampire. Each night Dark would come over to check and see if I was thirsty. The first attack was so soon because I was still a newborn then. Now don't have them at all 'cause I know when to feed.

It was now May and the day was so exciting for me and Brianna. It was our birthday. We were both turning sixteen and it was getting close to the end of school and the beginning of summer break. Just one thing kept worrying me: where was Dark? He wasn't at school that day.

It was two-thirty when the bell rang and I got up and packed my things.

"Ally," Brianna said and I turned around to see her, Midnight, and Krad standing behind me. "Please follow us." I did as they took me to a semi-empty area of the school. We went out the doors and I gasped.

There was Dark, under a big tree, with two big boxes. He had on his school uniform, but his hair was normal, not styled.

"Happy birthday, Vampire," he said as we all walked up to him. He gave me a quick kiss on my forehead.

"Thanks, Thief," I replied. "Why weren't you in school?"

"I was getting things ready, but me, Midnight, and Krad decided to give you both your big presents early." He grunted as picked up the purple one and handed it to me and did the same with the yellow one to Brianna. "Go on, open it."

My hands shook as I put the box down and took off the top. One second later, I felt a huge slobbery tongue across my face and I wipe it away, smiling. Inside was a Yellow Lab puppy with huge brown eyes and a wagging tail. I picked it up and it licked my nose again.

"Oh my gosh!" I cried as tears of joy spilled out of my eyes. "Thank you so much! I've always wanted a puppy, especially a Yellow Lab!"

"And I've wanted a white cat!" I looked at Brianna's and in her hands was a snow white cat with a red ribbon around its neck!

"What are you going to name them?" Midnight asked.

"I'm going to name her…Mew!" Brianna said as she hugged Krad and Dark. "Thank you so much!"

"What about you, Ally?" Dark asked.

"I think I'll name him…Cody. I've always wanted a dog named that." I hugged Dark again. "Thank you all so much!" I pulled the collar on his uniform and kissed him. We stayed like that for a few seconds, then parted as I pet the dog more.

"Well, let's not keep everyone else waiting any longer." Krad said.

"Everyone else?" Brianna asked.

"Just hold on," Dark grabbed me and Cody ad Krad grabbed Brianna and Mew. The three angels spread their wings and took off, flying to the Niwa house. When we landed, we walked in.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" My parents, Emiko, Kosuke, Daisuke, Satoshi, Daiki, Towa, Riku, and Risa all shouted.

"Oh my gosh!" I said as I put Cody down and Brianna did the same to Mew. "This is so cool!"

"Well, we wanted you to have a great birthday!" Risa came up and hugged us.

"Thanks!" Brianna said to everyone.

"Well, let's get this party started!" Towa cried and everyone else cheered agreeingly.

The party was awesome. There was a chocolate cake with a big "16" iced into the top. There also was food, movies, and games we all played. All-in-all, it was the best birthday of my life.

When the sun was going down, Dark, Krad, Brianna, and I went outside to the backward and watched the sun disappearing over the glistening ocean.

"What a great day!" Brianna announced.

"What made it even better was that everyone we love came to it." I agreed.

"Well, it's not over yet," Dark looked at Krad and they both nodded. Dark placed his hand under my chin and pulled me into an amazing kiss. Krad did the same to Brianna and everything was perfect for us.

It was the perfect setting, the perfect people, and the perfect way to end a day.

It was all just perfect.

At least for now.

THE END


End file.
